Resurrection
by Emeraldax
Summary: [Completed] Ensemble fic beginning right before Greg Madden dies on the show. Zach, Kendall, Ryan, Greenlee, Greg, and others, including three significant Returns From The Dead.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's note: This story starts out the last week of June, before the earthquake caused Greg's death. _

Chapter 1

Joe Martin stood in the doorway and smiled as he watched Kendall holding Spike in her arms, Zach and Ryan on either side of her. She looked up at Joe. "So when do I get to bring him home?"

Joe came into the room. "Two more days, Kendall. I think he'll be completely out of the woods by then. Of course, you know he can't leave this place until he has a name on his birth certificate." He smiled again to show he was joking.

Zach spread his hands. "What, you don't like Spike?"

Kendall sighed. "Much as I'm attached to that name, we do need to come up with something else. I don't know what, though. I haven't really given it much thought."

Ryan cleared his throat. "Actually, I've been thinking about it awhile now. How about…Christopher? Remember when we found my Saint Christopher medal in that chapel, and we decided that night to keep the baby?" Kendall nodded. Ryan continued, "Also…Chris Stamp meant a lot to me. I know he wasn't really my father, but…for awhile I thought he was."

Kendall bit her lip, thoughtfully. "Christopher. I like it. Chris and I butted heads alot, but my mother did love him and he was a good man. I'm truly sorry he's gone."

Ryan nodded. "Me too. Well, Christopher it is."

Kendall looked up at Zach. "What do you think?"

Zach cocked his head. "I think it's a fine name." He smiled down at his beautiful wife and her precious little boy. He was overwhelmed to think that he now had a family.

David quietly and urgently continued to dig, hoping that he hadn't fucked it up for good this time. He should never have lured Dixie up to Scarsdale. He should have stayed in town where he could keep an eye on Madden. It had been a waste of time going up there, anyway. _Thaddeus_ had to come along and mess things up.

He paused a moment, concerned that the noise he heard had been human. Burying Madden in a public park had probably not been the wisest course of action. He had been pressed for time, and the landscapers had done half the work for him. He had only to dig the hole a bit deeper, put Madden and the box down in the hole, and transfer the flowers from their crates to the plot. When the landscapers came back the next day, they were confused, but they simply decided they got the paperwork mixed up. A different crew must have finished the job.

Having decided that no one was coming, David finished digging. When he got back from Scarsdale, he checked his recordings and heard Greg raving about water leaking into the box. Then there was silence for a long time. If Madden died down there… David didn't want to contemplate the possibility that he would have been responsible for Dixie losing her best chance at getting her daughter back.

David opened the lid, hoping against hope that it wasn't too late. He stared uncomprehendingly down into the open box. "What the hell?"

Greenlee sank gratefully onto one of the tiny little chairs in the blissfully cool café. It was almost July and it was already boiling hot. She contemplated the possibility of heading someplace cooler. Her grandfather's jet was waiting patiently at the private hanger near Charles De Gaulle airport. She could go someplace north. Or maybe head to the southern hemisphere, where it was currently winter. She sighed and rubbed her belly. Much as her overheated hormones wanted relief, she was going to stay here. There was less than a month before her baby was born, and she wanted him to be born in Paris.

A waiter appeared by her side. In French, she ordered a decaffeinated iced coffee and a beignet. After he disappeared to place her order, she looked around. She had only just discovered this place yesterday. Normally she wouldn't come back again so soon, since she only treated herself to a coffee and pastry once a week, but she wanted to see if _he_ would show up again.

Greenlee felt a little shiver as she thought about the man she encountered yesterday. She had gone into the café and was heading for one of the tables when she realized that she needed to go to the bathroom rather urgently. She made an abrupt stop and turned around. The man was right behind her, and had made every effort not to crash into her. Normally she would have railed at him to be more careful, but she was feeling self-conscious these days. With her rather large abdomen, she was no longer her graceful self. Add to that the fact that she was all alone and had no one to talk to - it had left her feeling almost…subdued.

After they both finished their effusive apologies, she had finally looked up…up…up into his eyes. What she saw there was bewildering on several counts. For one thing, the look in his eyes was one of shock and…recognition? She could have been mistaken about that, but she couldn't mistake the fact that he was wearing colored contacts. In the brightness of the café, his pupils were very small, so she could see the hint of green before the brown color of the contacts obscured the rest. Usually it was brown-eyed people who wanted to make their eyes blue or green. Her gaze then shifted to his dark brown hair. Not only was it a bad haircut, but it was clearly dyed. She knew a bad color job when she saw it. This man, whoever he was, was hiding something.

The man backed away, glancing repeatedly from her face to her giant belly. He apologized one last time before he turned and fled the café. His voice had changed also, deeper than it was a few moments before. Had she imagined the spark of recognition? Did he know her, somehow? His face had been unfamiliar to her. Maybe she was thrown by the hair and eyes. She tried to picture the face with different hair and eyes, but nothing rang a bell. Except….something about him. His mannerisms, his height… Something about him had unlocked within her a longing that she hadn't felt in ages. He had reminded her of… Greenlee sighed. Why was she doing this to herself? She was deliberately torturing herself by coming here to Paris. She wanted to be reminded of Leo, to feel connected to his spirit here. She wanted to banish all thoughts of Ryan by immersing herself in the past. So it stood to reason that she would conjure up Leo's ghost in the form of some mysterious gentleman.

The waiter brought her order and she looked down at the beignet. She wasn't hungry any more. She sipped her coffee, smiling slightly when she felt her little guy kick. The door to the café opened, and a woman walked in. She was followed by the man from yesterday. Greenlee froze. It wasn't just her imagination. He did remind her of Leo. The way he walked… Greenlee shifted her gaze to the woman. She was an older woman. Greenlee didn't like her expression as she spoke with the man – lectured him was more like it. He didn't seem to appreciate the speech either. There was something about that woman that filled Greenlee with dread. Something about her behavior, the way she spoke to the man, the way he reacted to her. It struck a familiar chord. Greenlee gasped as she made the connection. Just as the man somehow inexplicably reminded her of Leo, the woman that he was with reminded her of Vanessa.

The sentry quietly chuckled as he watched David through his night vision goggles. He flipped open his cell phone and pushed a button. "Mr. Wells? Hayward has found the empty box."

Ian laughed heartily. "Please tell me you took a picture. I really don't want to miss out on his expression."

"Oh, it's quite amusing, sir. Very much horrified and bewildered."

Ian shook his head. "Thanks for the update. Keep me posted on his actions. He'll never suspect the truth, but there's always the possibility that he'll stumble across some information." Ian Wells depressed the end call button on his cell phone. He looked over Greg Madden, tied securely to an examining table, and smiled.

When Ian read in the newspaper that Dixie was "resurrected" from the dead, he sent some men to Pine Valley to assess the situation. He was surprised to read in their report that the man he had helped her chase for a year, Doctor Greg Madden, was boldly residing in Pine Valley. Ian was pleased to discover that Dixie had followed his advice and hooked up with Zach Slater when she got to town. Ian had told her that since she wouldn't be able to contact him, Slater was someone she could count on if she got into trouble.

Ian could see that the situation was heating up with Madden. He decided to come to town so he could observe things from a closer vantage point. When Greg finally attempted to make an escape, Ian followed him and Del Henry to the airport. Ian boarded the jet just in time to witness David Hayward knock Madden over the head. He watched Hayward drag Greg off the jet, then glanced inside the main cabin. When Ian saw Erica Kane passed out, he froze in shock. What had Madden wanted with _her_? Reluctantly leaving Erica in the jet, Ian followed David and watched as he placed Greg in the box and buried him in the public park. Then he followed David back to his cabin and observed as he set up some transmission equipment.

When he left again, Ian stayed and put a bug in the equipment. After that he was able to hear everything that passed between David and Greg. Listening to Greg's ravings, he discovered the truth about what Madden had done to Erica, and his continued obsession with her. After the rainstorm, he realized that Greg was in danger of drowning. Because David was in Scarsdale, Ian made the decision to get Greg out of there before he died.

Now that Ian finally had Madden all to himself, he was going to get some answers. Hayward's plan, while certainly clever, had not been quite diabolical enough to induce the information out of Greg. Ian admired Madden's steely reserve. He would certainly be one tough nut to crack. But Ian knew just what tool to use for this type of nut. He plugged in the stryker saw.

While Zach was driving Kendall home, he asked her about Chris Stamp. She rested her head against the window as she thought about the man her mother almost married. "As Erica tells it, when Chris first came to town, he was very mysterious. He pretended to be a janitor, handyman, bartender. He was really an FBI agent trying to find out the identity of a drug lord known as Proteus. The drug lord turned out to be Leo's mother, Vanessa. Remember I told you about how Leo died? He went over the falls with his mother and they were never found. You see, after she was revealed to be Proteus she went crazy. Nuttier than a fruitcake. She threatened Greenlee's life on more than one occasion. She was put in a loony bin, but she escaped and kidnapped Greenlee. When Leo went to rescue her, he lost his life."

Kendall was silent for awhile as she remembered Greenlee's grief. It had taken her so long to come to terms with Leo's death. Kendall frowned. "How did I get to talking about Leo and Vanessa? Oh yeah, I was telling you about Chris Stamp." She sighed. "Anyway, he and Erica fell in love and got engaged. She went on trial for Frankie's murder. Frankie was Maggie's twin sister – Leo was their cousin and Vanessa was their aunt. Vanessa was the one who actually killed Frankie, but my mother was the prime suspect and she was eventually arrested. Chris decided to be Erica's attorney. He had a law degree, but had never practiced. I came back to town to try and sabotage her defense, so he and I were at each other's throats alot. It eventually came out that Chris and Ryan's mother had been an item at one time. Because of the timing, they concluded that Chris was Ryan's father. They became pretty tight, and after Ryan blew town, they kept in touch. I drove Chris crazy trying to get him to tell me where Ryan was. A long time after Chris died, Erica read in his journal that he really wasn't Ryan's father. Chris let him think he was because he wanted Ryan to stop seeing himself as Patrick's son, a chip off the old block. When Ryan found out the truth…well, you were there when he spiraled out of control."

Zach pulled into the parking lot in front of the condo cluster. "How did Chris die?"

Kendall got out of the car. "Chris went ballistic after he found out Erica had been sneaking around with Jackson. Some scumbag he knew from one of his FBI assignments thought he would do Chris a favor and have Jackson taken out. Jack ended up in the hospital and almost died because they couldn't find a blood donor that shared his rare blood type. That whole thing was what led to the discovery that Greenlee was his daughter. Anyway, Chris went after the scumbag, who ended up kidnapping Maddie Grey. The guy shot Chris and Maddie managed to escape and get to her father. Chris died a hero."

Zach and Kendall entered the condo and she went over to a cupboard and pulled out a photo album. Flipping through it, she came to the page she was looking for. "There. That's Chris Stamp."

Zach took the album and gazed down at the picture of Chris Stamp with his arm around Erica's shoulder. Years of self-control kept his hands steady, his breathing normal, and not a glimmer of his true emotions in his expression. He would never have laid odds on the possibility that he knew this man. He remembered when he first came to Pine Valley, he marveled at the strange coincidence that his brother's life had ended in the same town where Maria lived, the woman he had loved and lost. Now there was this…this other strange connection to a small backwater town in Pennsylvania.

Zach had known Chris as Sam Keith. He had often wondered in the past three years why he never heard from him any more. He'd been suspicious that Sam was dead, and now he had confirmation. He suppressed the urge to laugh bitterly. Kendall called him a hero. In many ways, he was more ruthless, cunning, and cold-blooded than even the Cambias men. But Zach wouldn't have called him evil…not in the way that Michael had been evil. Sam was the type of man who decided that the end justified the means. His motives were often pure, but the way he went about achieving those goals would rob any normal man of his soul. Zach's own soul was in tatters because of Sam. Zach took responsibility for his own actions. He made every decision knowing what the consequences would be. But it was Sam who had given him the choices to be made. It was Sam who had played God with his life and many others. Zach was relieved to know that he wasn't immortal after all.

Zach looked up from the picture and saw that Kendall was frowning at him. He wondered if his expression had not been as impassive as he had intended. He searched for something innocuous to say. "I'm sure your mother will love her grandson's new name."

Kendall shook her head. "No. You're not going to do this to me again. You're not going to shut me out. You were trying to hide it, but I can see that something is _very_ wrong. You tell me what it is now, or you can sleep across the courtyard in your old place with Ryan."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Kendall glared at Zach, daring him to deny that something was wrong. He sighed. "Kendall…"

She stormed over to him and grabbed ahold of the lapels of his jacket. "Zach, _please_. The last time I saw you like this was back in January. Remember that night when you couldn't sleep, and you were upset that I was praising you? It's because you were keeping the secret about the blackout. Please tell me that there isn't another secret you're keeping from me."

Zach reached his hands up and encircled her wrists. "Kendall, I've told you before that I have many secrets. What I was thinking about just now…has nothing to do with you. It's all stuff from my past that should remain in the past…dead and buried."

Kendall lowered her head and brushed her lips against the knuckles of his right hand. "But they aren't buried. You resurrected them. It's all jumbled up in my head, but I do remember some of the stories you told me while I was in the coma. You glossed over a lot of the bad stuff, but I got a pretty good idea of what your life was like before you became 'a simple man who loves his wife.' I know you don't want to go into details, but I think you should at least tell me what looking at a picture of my mother and her dead lover has to do with your past."

Zach took a deep breath and turned away from Kendall. He went over to the sofa and sat down. It had been much simpler with Maria. When they were together in the desert, they both had something to hide. They never asked questions that probed too deeply. They knew each other well enough to sense when the other was troubled, but they only offered each other a comforting shoulder to lean on. Kendall wanted more, and she deserved more. The depth of their love for each other demanded it. He just had no idea where to begin.

Kendall sat down next to him and gazed at him solemnly. "You didn't recognize his name, but you recognized his face, didn't you?" She saw a flicker in his eyes. She pressed on. "Did you meet him when he was undercover for the FBI? Was he investigating you?"

Zach smiled grimly. "He did investigate me. Not because he wanted to arrest me, but because he wanted to use me. I was recruited, in a manner of speaking. When we met – I was about twenty-three at the time - he was struck by the resemblance between us. He said we could have been brothers." Kendall's eyebrows shot up. Zach shook his head. "No, we aren't related at all. It was just a coincidence. He sized me up and decided that I was good 'raw material.' As a government agent, he had access to a lot of information, so when he dug into my past he found out that I was Alexander Cambias, Junior. He knew I faked my death and he used it against me."

Kendall frowned. "Are you telling me he blackmailed you into working for the FBI? You were a Fed?"

Zach chuckled. "No, I was never officially hired by the government. Certainly not by the FBI. Sam wasn't an FBI agent, either. That was the name he gave me. Sam Keith. Sam would sometimes don the role of FBI agent if it was useful for his purposes. Sort of like when CIA agents pretend to be State Department employees at U.S. embassies overseas. I never really knew what counterintelligence branch he worked for. CIA, NSA, whatever. The only thing he ever told me was that he was given a very large budget to follow very secret missions that were not officially sanctioned by the U.S. government. Often times in order to get the job done, he'd _persuade_ people to do some of the particularly dirty work for him. Everything was done in such a manner that it could never be proven that the government had anything to do with the operation."

Kendall clutched at his arm. "I remember you telling me that while I was in the coma. You were one of the people he used for his missions. He came to you again and again and made you do stuff in exchange for his silence. That was Chris Stamp? The man my mother almost married?" She gaped at him.

Zach shrugged. "Sam always had a soft spot for women. He never let himself be fooled by one, but he did have a certain reverence for them. He enjoyed taking care of them."

Kendall relaxed her grip on his arm, and moved her hand over his shoulder and gently squeezed the back of his neck. "Tell me, Zach. What were some of the things he made you do?" Zach sighed and shook his head. "Zach, these memories are eating away at you. You need to talk about it, and I know you're never going to go see a shrink, so confide in _me_. Just tell me one thing that you had to do for him."

Zach lowered his head, knowing she was going to be stubborn about this. He cast his mind about for something relatively benign. Looking up at her again, he gazed into her beautiful green eyes. He suddenly remembered another pair of green eyes. A young man with green eyes that were filled with pain and longing and unending heartache.

"Maxwell, you are completely out of your mind. You're going to ruin everything!" The regal, middle-aged woman glared at Max as he straightened his tie.

He reluctantly tore himself away from the mirror. "I'm not ruining anything, _Aunt_ Sophie. This works perfectly into our plans. I'm going to take her to Renee's favorite restaurant. When Renee sees us together, she'll be livid. After tonight, she'll be putty in my hands."

Sophie put her hands on her hips. "I will admit that making Renee jealous is a very good idea. Using Greenlee _Lavery_ to do it is completely unacceptable!"

Max narrowed his eyes. "Greenlee _Smythe_ is more than acceptable, she's inspired. She's gorgeous. She's rich. She's a bitch. Best of all, she's _pregnant_. Renee's head will explode. I'm quite certain she'll go running to Daddy, who will come see you to try and get the scoop on Greenlee. It's brilliant."

Sophie shook her head and started pacing. "You know precisely why I'm opposed to this. I should stop you, but I know that if I do you'll just find some other way to see her. You disappoint me, Maxwell, you really do."

"No, it's your _life_ that disappoints you, Sophie. You're bored out of your mind. You want to be running with the big dogs, and instead you're stuck kissing up to rich old farts again. It drives you crazy."

Sophie slapped her hand against the door jamb. "Don't you say it! Don't you call me crazy! I am not crazy!" She took deep breaths to calm herself. "You're right about one thing. I _am_ bored! I left this kind of penny-ante shit behind years ago. I had it all, Maxwell. I had more power and money than you can ever dream of."

Max stalked over to her and glared down at her in contempt. "At what price? Hundreds of lives destroyed by drugs because of your lust for power? You disgust me. You're nothing but a greedy, murdering pig and I don't ever want to hear you whine about your lot in life. You should be dead!"

Sophie's hand cracked across his face. "I _am_ dead! And so are you. Remember that!"

Max's eyes were certainly dead as he stared down at her, silently. Then he turned and walked out the door. Fuming, Sophie went to the secret hiding place and retrieved the emergency cell phone. Maxwell had gone too far this time.

Ian Wells strolled over to Doctor Madden. "Your former captor has just discovered that you've been rescued."

Greg glared at him, struggling against the ropes binding him. "Rescued? I would hardly call this being rescued. I've simply traded one form of captivity for another."

Ian shrugged. "Potato, potahto. Whatever. At least you're alive, which you wouldn't be if I had left you in there." He shook his head in disgust. "Hayward has a brilliant mind, and he's very cunning. But he's always had one major weakness. Dixie Cooney. He gets too distracted when she's around. He'll do anything for a piece of that ass. Not that I blame him." Ian reflected on Dixie's many charms.

Greg watched as Ian lifted his hand, revealing the stryker saw he held. Madden was filled with dread. Suddenly he wished that David was still his captor. Hayward was cruel, but he wasn't quite as sadistic as this man appeared to be. Greg tried to distract him from his intended purpose. "Who are you? You look familiar to me, but I can't quite place you. What do you want from me?"

Ian leaned over the gurney. "I want the same thing Hayward wanted. The location of Dixie's child, Kate Martin."

Greg blinked at him. "You're a friend of Dixie? Is that why you look familiar? Have I seen you around Pine Valley?"

Ian shook his head. "We've never met. I _am_ a friend of Dixie. I'm also a friend of someone else you violated. For what you've done to these two women and countless others, I will make you pay."

Greg's eyes widened as it finally hit him. This man's picture was in various newspaper clippings in Greg's secret photo album. "I know who you are! But…but you're supposed to be dead!"

Ian fingered the on switch. "Now, now, we're not here to talk about me. We're here to talk about Kate. I'm not quite as patient as David. I like immediate results. If you don't tell me where Kate is, I will start with your fingers. It'll be a little hard to inseminate women without your hands, Doc. You won't be able to deliver all those babies that you seem to covet so much. Of course, in time I guess you can develop half-way decent prosthetic fingers. But using them will be a bit tricky if you're blind, because your eyes will be next."

He picked up a wicked-looking instrument from a nearby tray that Greg recognized as one used to sever the optic nerve. Greg breathed deeply, in and out, trying to maintain control. Whatever this man had in store for him could be remedied or overcome. Any pain, any loss of function would just be temporary.

Ian chuckled. "I know all about you, Doc. You see yourself as some sort of God. Well, what kind of God will you be if you're no longer all-seeing? Or all-knowing? You revere your own brilliance, Doc. What would happen if someone were to pop open that skull of yours and start poking around? Things might get a bit messy."

Madden's jaw went slack. He stammered. "If you give me a lobotomy, I won't remember where Kate is, I'll be completely useless to you!"

Ian shrugged. "The way I see it, if burying you alive doesn't get you to cough up the information, and deforming you doesn't get results either, then it's obvious you're of no use to me. Pretty much the only option left is to cut you loose and be done with you. But _not before_ taking away the weapon that you've been using to violate all those innocent women. Hacking up your brain will have the same effect as cutting off the dick of a rapist. It will render you _powerless_."

Madden gagged as nausea threatened to overwhelm him. "How…how do I know that…that if I tell you where Kate is, you won't lobotomize me anyway?"

Ian smiled grimly. "If you tell me where Kate is, I'll see that as full cooperation. I'll turn you over to one of my acquaintances at the FBI, and you'll get thrown into a federal penitentiary with all the other violent offenders. Not much of a life to look forward to, but you'll still have all your marbles. I'll give you a little while to think about it." He set the stryker saw on a nearby table. "Tommy!" A swarthy-looking man walked in. "Show our guest a few pictures of some of our other customers. Just in case he thinks I might be bluffing."

Kendall caressed Zach's back, encouraging him to share with her. Zach rubbed his forehead. "Sam told me I had a unique skill that he could utilize: I had successfully faked my death. There were times when he needed help giving people new identities. Kind of like his own personal subset of the witness protection program. Most of the time these people were glad to shed their old life, often because they were criminals that wanted to escape a prison sentence. In exchange for not sending them to jail, they did work for Sam."

Kendall stared at him, appalled. "He let criminals run around free?"

Zach shrugged. "From what I could gather, they were mostly people that committed non-violent crimes. Hackers, smugglers, embezzlers, anyone that had a particular talent that was of use to him. The few times he recruited someone dangerous, he used the person in a dangerous assignment. If they died, it was no great loss."

Kendall shook her head. "Wow. That's pretty mercenary. So you were telling me that you helped people create a new life?"

Zach nodded. "There was one man…he wasn't like the rest. He didn't want to give up his old life. He never said as much to me - he was very quiet, kept to himself. He and an older woman were sent to my casino in Rio de Janeiro. Sam arranged for them to have plastic surgery, and their faces were still bandaged when they arrived. He told me to give them new identities and train them in the fine art of being someone else. The woman was an eager pupil. Her partner was…dutiful at best. In all the times I performed this particular task, I never asked anyone about themselves. I didn't want to know. But this man was different. I had the urge to ask him who he was, ask him how he had been put in the position of working for Sam. He was very sad. He took long walks at night around the grounds of the casino, sometimes staying out till dawn. Once his bandages were off, he would sit in the bar and watch the couples dancing. He was longing for someone, Kendall. He was longing for a life that had been taken away from him.

Zach looked down at his hands, which clenched tightly. "I found myself wanting to help him. Wanting to give him back what he had lost. He didn't belong in the world that Sam was thrusting him in. But I fought the desire to go to him, to question him. I told myself that being in Rio was _his_ choice. Sam wasn't holding a gun to his head. If he wanted to go back to his old life that badly, he would find a way. I told myself that interfering would just make things worse, make things harder on this young man. We were all forced to live with the choices that we've made in life, and sympathy was a wasted emotion.

Zach looked over at Kendall. "I was wrong. I should have helped him. Every so often I think of him and I wonder where he is. I wonder where he is _supposed to be_."

Kendall reached out and touched his cheek. "Zach, you were right the first time. This guy made a choice. Maybe he was unhappy with his decision, but it was _his_ to make. I mean, look at Ryan. You used your obviously well-honed skills to help him fake his death. He didn't want to be apart from Greenlee, leave everything behind, but he was doing it for a reason. A really crappy reason, but it was what motivated him to take that drastic step. He did what he thought he had to do, and no one was going to change his mind. It was probably the same with this guy." She pulled him into a hug.

Zach allowed Kendall to comfort him. He told himself that she had a point. Like sympathy, regrets were a waste of time. The man and woman would have changed their identities numerous times since they left Rio. Even if he wanted to right that particular wrong, he could not. He would never see them again.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Dixie found the abandoned warehouse and went inside. She stopped short when she saw a swarthy-looking man looming in the dim light. "Tommy?"

The swarthy man smiled inasmuch as a man like him could genuinely smile. "Hey, Miss Rosanna! Long time no see." He referred to her by the name she had used when she was away from Pine Valley.

She chuckled. "Yeah, it's good to see you. I guess Ian is inside?" He nodded and indicated the entrance. She went through the door.

Ian was sitting at a desk. He looked up and grinned. "Baby, it's good to see you!" He pushed back his chair and came over to her, wrapping her in a bear hug.

Dixie took a shuddering breath. "Oh, it is _so_ good to see you! You don't know how much I've missed you." She pulled back, wiping her eyes. "It's been so hard since I came back to town. People either hate me, rightfully so, or they want something from me, or they have their own life that needs their concentration."

Ian squeezed her shoulder. "Has Zach not been helping you?"

Dixie smiled. "He's been wonderful, I'm so glad you told me about him. But he's got his own life. His wife, Kendall, was in a coma for awhile, and now she's out of it. They're going to bring her baby home from the hospital soon. The baby's father, Ryan Lavery, has also been very helpful."

Ian cocked his head. "So you've spoken to Ryan."

She nodded and raised her eyebrows. "You knew him when you were here before?"

Ian sighed. "Yeah, that's an understatement. Long story."

Dixie smiled. "And you didn't call me here to tell me that story. You have something else you want to pass on?"

Ian nodded and waved her over to a couch. They sat down. "Ever since I found out that everyone knows you're alive, I've kept a close watch on the situation."

Dixie's eyes widened. "Oh, Ian. If you're worried that I'll tell everyone your secret now that mine is out, you can put your mind at rest. I would never breathe a word to anyone. Tad knows I was shacking up with someone named Ian Wells, but he has no idea of your true identity."

Ian put his arm around her. "Darlin, I wasn't worried about that. I was worried about _you_. I didn't want those people tearing you up for what you did. When I found out Greg Madden was in Pine Valley, I knew I had to come back. The job I'm working on has hit a slow patch, so I was free to come over. I don't want anyone to know I'm here, but I couldn't let you deal with this all alone. Zach Slater is very talented at getting certain things done, but he has his limits. There are some things that even _he_ won't do. I figured I was going to have to be the one to get the information out of Madden."

Dixie rested her head on his shoulder. "If anyone can get him to talk, it's you. There's just one problem. Greg has been missing for weeks now. Nobody has been able to find him."

"My dear, he's been literally right under everyone's noses." She stared at him, and he stood up. "Come with me, and I'll tell you everything."

As they walked down a hallway, he explained how David Hayward had buried Madden alive in the park. Her jaw dropped. "David did that? I…I don't understand. Why didn't he just whip up one of his drugs that would make Madden tell him the truth?"

Ian shook his head. "Hayward just got his medical license back; he's not going to jeopardize it. Greg would have had him arrested for drugging him while the proof was still in his system. The box setup was completely anonymous. David would have been a suspect, sure, but one of many. It was a good plan, but David got sloppy. I had to take matters into my own hands." They stopped in front of a door. Ian slid the small disc covering the peephole over to the side. "Take a look."

Dixie peered inside. To her amazement, she saw Greg Madden. He was sitting in a chair, wearing boxer shorts and a tank. He was being attended to by a nurse or doctor, who was taking splinters out of his hand. He had salve on various raw spots. He was a mess. Dixie looked at Ian. "So you're going to try and get him to tell you where Kate is?"

Ian reached out and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. "I wasn't going to bring you here and get your hopes up if there was even the slightest chance he wouldn't talk. I was only going to call you once it was a done deal." He held up a piece of paper.

Dixie felt a roaring in her head. She took a shuddering breath, and took the piece of paper from his hand. "You mean…?"

He nodded. "It didn't take him long to start spilling his guts. He was already at the breaking point from being buried for so long. I just had to send him over the edge. Violence is rarely needed when good old-fashioned psychology will work. Though I wouldn't have minded giving him an extreme makeover."

Dixie opened the slip of paper and saw a name…an address…a phone number. "Oh God, Ian. This is fantastic! But what if this doesn't pan out? What if it's another dead end?"

Ian stroked her hair. "I've called the number. The couple does have a daughter Kate's age that they adopted from Madden. But just in case, I'll continue to hold him here until you've run a DNA test."

Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Ian…thank you so much!" She threw her arms around him, sobbing. With Madden's disappearance, she had all but given up hope of ever finding Kate. After awhile, she pulled back. "Ian, you might want to know about what he did to Erica."

He nodded. "I already know. He rambled on about it while he was in the box. He's a pretty twisted bastard, alright."

She narrowed her eyes. "What are you going to do to him?"

He chuckled. "I can think of many things I would do love to do to him. Once we know for sure that the little girl is Kate, I will do what I promised Madden I would do – send him to a federal penitentiary where he can rot with the rest of the scum of the earth."

Greenlee laughed so hard, tears were streaming down her face. "Oh God! Did you see the look on her face? She wanted so badly to rip me to shreds, but she knew she would look like a bitch if she tore into a poor defenseless pregnant woman. Ha!"

Max threw his arm casually over the back of Greenlee's car seat. "Yeah, as if you could ever be mistaken for poor and defenseless."

She gave him a strange look. "You know me so well."

Max cleared his throat. "Well, I can read people pretty easily. You strike me as being very independent. I bet your bite is much, much worse than your bark."

Greenlee chuckled. "Got it in one. Oh wow, I don't think I've laughed so hard in so long. But seriously, Max, why were we there, tonight? It wasn't a coincidence that girl showed up when she did. Did you bring me there so she would see us and pop a blood vessel?" Greenlee folded her arms.

Max reached over with his left hand and ran a finger down her jawline. "I will admit that I was hoping to stick it to Renee. She's been leading me on a merry chase for quite awhile. When I met you in that café, suddenly she no longer seemed worth the effort. After you agreed to have dinner with me, I decided we should go to her favorite restaurant so that I could close that chapter of my life for good. Are you angry?"

Greenlee sighed. "No. It's just…it just reminds me of something that…" She didn't finish. She was going to say that it reminded her of something Leo would do, back when they first met. But she didn't want to talk about Leo with this man. She didn't want to think about the fact that Max was resurrecting feelings she thought she had laid to rest. She just wanted to live in the moment. She wanted to have fun. She cleared her throat. "Do you really think I'm better than that girl? I mean, I'm not exactly someone that men drool over…at least not at this point in my life. I…" She trailed off, looking down at her large stomach.

Max lifted her chin with his finger, so that she looked at him. "You are a beautiful woman. The most exquisite woman I have ever met. The fact that you're carrying a child isn't relevant. Some guys might be put off because if you're pregnant, surely it must mean that you have a man in your life or are looking for a man. I could tell that you just wanted someone to talk to, laugh with, feel like you're a person and not a baby container. You aren't just the peanut's mom. You're Greenlee – an extraordinary woman who deserves to be seen for who you are."

Greenlee tried to smile at his beautiful words, but grimaced instead. Tears started to roll down her cheeks. "I'm sorry. It's these stupid hormones, they're making me crazy."

Max shifted his right arm from the seat onto her shoulders. He pulled her close and she cried into his jacket. When her tears were spent, she looked up at him, a determined look on her face. "I'm sick of crying, Max. I want to laugh. Just like you said. Please…help me to laugh again."

A slow grin spread on Max's face. "You've got it, babe." He pulled his arm from around her and turned on the ignition. He peeled out of the parking lot, spurred on by the glorious sound of her laughter.

Kendall murmured into Zach's ear. "It's been a long day, why don't we go to bed?"

Zach started to put his hand on her thigh, then thought better of it and dropped it back on his own. "Why don't you go on? I um…I have to check my e-mail."

Kendall put her hand over his. "You can do that tomorrow. We need our sleep. It won't be much longer before we have a baby in the house and sleeping will be at a premium. So will privacy." She gave him a significant look.

Zach smiled ruefully, and touched her delicate face. "I still marvel that I get to touch you…hold you in my arms. After all the things that I've done…"

Kendall sighed. "Zach, if you're talking about the blackout or helping Ryan fake his death…we've resolved those issues. They don't need to be brought up again. If you're talking about the stuff that happened in your life before we met, I think you're well aware that my resume isn't squeaky clean either. Everything that's happened to us – the good, the bad and the very ugly – it all makes up who we are and it's what led us to this place…to _us_. You, me and Spike." Kendall frowned. "I don't know if we should name him Christopher now that I know the truth about Chris Stamp."

Zach shook his head. "I think Christopher is a fine name. Remember, it wasn't just about Stamp – Ryan also mentioned the Saint Christopher pendant. We'd have to explain to Ryan why you don't want to call him that, and I don't really want to spread the word about my past. Let Ryan continue to have good memories of Chris. Besides, Chris wasn't really a bad man. Not down deep. His actions were usually unethical, and often ruthless, but most of the time his overall agenda was for the greater good. That was a very hard lesson to understand when I was younger, but I accept it now."

Kendall scrunched her nose. "I don't know if I agree. I've done some bad things for what I thought were pure motives, and they always came back to bite me in the ass. But I suppose I agree about not telling Ryan about Chris. He wasn't really Ryan's father after all, so whether Ryan knows the truth about him or not is kinda moot."

Ian's cell phone vibrated, waking him from a deep sleep. He sat up in his cot and answered it. "Sophie? What is it?" He listened as she explained about Maxwell running into Greenlee. He had taken her out on a date the night before and as of that morning – Paris time – he had still not come back. He also wouldn't answer the phone. Chris rubbed his face. "Are you fucking kidding me? What the hell is he thinking? What have you done to contain the situation?" He listened to her excuses. "Yeah, I'm well aware that he rarely listens to you, and you know why? You can be a stone-cold bitch with anyone else in the world, but when it comes to that boy you fold like a goddamn lawn chair. What have I told you about weaknesses, Sophie? He's exploiting yours. Dammit. I can't come to Paris; I've got stuff I need to do here. I'll try and call him – maybe he'll answer the phone for me." He pressed the end button and contemplated the latest development. Greenlee Lavery was in Paris. And she was eight months pregnant. Her child was concieved before she left Pine Valley. Every instinct told him that only one person could be that child's father. _Ryan_.

Ian got up from his cot and sat down at the little desk that also served as his dining table. It had been awhile since he'd had to live quite this utilitarian, but he was never one to allow himself to grow soft. Despite the fact that he was tired as hell, he needed answers. He spent half an hour researching vasectomies. What he read seemed to indicate that Ryan's vasectomy might have been unsuccessful. As a matter of course, two months after the procedure is done the patient is usually tested to see if it worked. It was a routine operation, but errors can be made. Based on the information Ian had collected, two months after his operation, Ryan was faking his death. Not exactly an opportune time for a follow-up appointment. Apparently the operation didn't work, because Greenlee was now carrying his child.

Ian sighed. Ryan was in for a hell of a shock. Dixie had mentioned to Ian that one of Madden's dirty little secrets was that he was donor #1 for all his surrogacies. Considering that Greg was obsessed with Erica, and Kendall was Erica's daughter, the likelihood that he used Ryan's sample as promised was slim to none. Spike was probably Greg's child. Ryan was going to have to deal with the fact that the baby he has grown to love – Spike - was not his. Meanwhile, the woman he loved was in France, about to have a baby that really _was_ his. And she was being romanced by her other not-so-dead husband.

Ian would make sure that Ryan never found out that particular detail. Greenlee would eventually reunite with Ryan, and they would live happily ever after – the way it should be. Ian would make sure of that. He already fucked things up by planting that damn fake journal for Erica to find. He'd done it so that Ryan wouldn't ever get curious to know more about his dear departed father. Standard procedure in undercover work – when you leave an assignment you sever all ties. But what was done was done. The only thing he could control now was what happened next. He was going to get Leo…_Max_…the hell away from Greenlee.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Max was momentarily bewildered by the insistent noise coming from his pocket. He was even more bewildered when he opened his eyes and saw where he was. For a few blissful seconds, he thought that perhaps the last four years had been only a nightmare. He was in the bedroom in his and Greenlee's Paris flat – the retreat that they had both loved so much. Greenlee was snuggling in his arms. He heard her moan in her sleep, "Turn that thing off!"

Max slipped out of bed, ruefully acknowledging the fact that both he and Greenlee were fully dressed, and crept out of the room. He had not immediately recognized the ringtone on his cell phone. It was the special one that sounded when Ian entered a specific code into his own phone. The intent of the code was simple: Answer your fucking phone or you are dead meat. While Max was used to ignoring Sophie's calls, he was not quite stupid enough to blow off Ian.

He pressed the green button. "Yeah?"

"Glad to know the cheese hasn't completely fallen off the cracker. Where are you?"

Max glanced towards the bedroom. "Hold on, I can't talk here." He left the flat and took the stairs down to the street. "I was sleeping off a pretty spectacular night. Renee is now in the palm of my hand, and I'm sure her father has been sufficiently bedazzled by Sophie."

"Don't give me that shit. Sophie ratted you out. You were with Greenlee all night. She said you two ran into each other in a café."

Max let out a breath. "I told you assigning us to Paris was a huge risk. Greenlee comes here often, and Bianca and Maggie friggin _live_ here, for chrissake. I don't know how many times I've had to turn and go in the opposite direction when I saw one of them. A few weeks ago I quite literally ran into Miranda when she was running from her mom at the park. Do you know how hard it's been to see them, to not be able to talk to them? When I saw Greenlee not once, but _twice_, it was more than I could take. "

"I put you in Paris because I wanted to see if you could handle being close to people you care about without blowing your cover. Obviously you failed miserably. Jesus, Max, do you think that any good at all is going to come from you connecting with Greenlee again?"

"You may be a cold-blooded son of a bitch, but there was no way I could blow off Greenlee. Goddamn it, Ian, she's eight months pregnant and completely alone."

"She's alone because she's hurt and angry. When she calms down - when she looks into the eyes of her baby - she'll forgive Ryan and go back to him. At least that's what she'll do if you leave her the hell alone. If you keep seeing her, she's going to attach herself to you. And then what? Do you really think that you can have any sort of long-term relationship with her, given the secret you're hiding?"

Max stared at the little art gallery across the street where Greenlee had spent obscene amounts of money to decorate their flat. "Maybe I'll tell her the truth. Maybe I'm sick of being dead."

"Don't be stupid, Max. Telling Greenlee the truth is the worst thing you can do to her. You've been gone four years. Ryan pretended to be dead for less than four _months_. His death was devastating for Greenlee. His subsequent resurrection destroyed her. She still hasn't forgiven him. Learning the truth about you, when she hasn't recovered from the last blow, will finish her off. You might as well fit her for a goddamn straightjacket."

Max fought for control. "You son of a bitch. She would never have had to go through any of that if it weren't for you."

"You and Vanessa would have drowned if my men hadn't fished you out of the river. Greenlee would have gone through the same mess, regardless."

"Don't even pretend like that was the turning point! If you had just done your job by the book, Ian, you would have eventually gotten enough evidence on Vanessa to arrest her. But you were too impatient. You fed her anti-psychotics so she'd lose control. Well she lost control alright. Greenlee almost died because you couldn't be bothered to do things the right way. Then you save my life – yeah, what a joke that was, huh? Funny how all the shit in my life goes directly back to you."

"All the shit in your life is because your mommy is a fucking murderer and you can't bring yourself to let her pay for it. Let's not forget the sterling behavior of your other two brothers. Your troubles began the day you were born into that family."

"Go to hell!" Max hit the end button. It was a tired old argument that he and Ian had whenever this life got to be too much.

Max went back into the building and trudged up the stairs. Ian was an asshole, but he was right. Greenlee had been through enough. She was about to have a baby. She might very well reconcile with Ryan. Her future could be happy when she was ready to forgive her husband. Inserting himself into her life now, whether it was as Max or Leo, could bring nothing but more pain.

Kendall stretched lazily and sleepily opened her eyes. The light coming in through the window was dim. It must be just after dawn. She yawned, trying to decide if she should go into Fusion first and work on the plans for the nightclub, or go see her baby first. She decided to call Nurse Hoolia and find out if Spike…uh Chris…was awake. If he was, then she'd definitely go see him first.

Kendall felt Zach shift slightly in his sleep, his arm tightening around her. She lightly caressed his forearm as she contemplated Spike's new name. Maybe instead of shortening it to Chris, they could shorten it to Topher. That was the name of one of the actors in that Tad Hamilton movie. She wondered what Ryan would think of Topher. Hmm… Maybe his name could officially be Christopher, but his nickname could be Spike. She had a hard time thinking of him as anything else but Spike.

"You think you could keep it down over there?" Kendall felt as well as heard Zach's rumbling voice against her back.

She smiled. "What are you talking about?"

She felt his nose nuzzle her ear. "All those wheels turning in your head are causing quite a racket. Why aren't you asleep? Weren't you the one who said we needed all the rest we can get?"

Kendall turned in his arms. "I know, but it's a shame to waste time on sleep when there's so much to do – spend time with my ruggedly handsome husband, cuddle with my baby boy, run my very cool and prosperous conglomerate."

Zach chuckled. "Conglomerate?"

"Yeah, now that we've branched out into the nightclub business, that means Fusion is a conglomerate."

"Of course. My wife…the corporate mover and shaker."

Kendall smiled. "Oh, I think you're the one with all the moves. Like that one you pulled last night." She snuggled closer, reveling in the feel of her skin sliding against his.

Zach raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, I think I pulled more than a move. My gracilis muscle is feeling a bit sore."

Kendall frowned. "Your gracilis muscle? Where is that?"

Zach grinned wickedly. "Why don't you try and guess?"

Kendall giggled, and was about to place her hand over a particular spot when her cell rang. "Who could it be at this hour?"

She scrambled out of bed and fished in her purse for her cell. "Hello? Ryan?"

Zach admired her delectable backside for a moment, before shifting his eyes to her face. She frowned. "What do you mean, he isn't there? Maybe Hoolia took him for a walk. She told me she does that sometimes. Oh. What about the pediatrician? Maybe they're running tests." Kendall started to pace. Zach got out of bed and came over to stand beside Kendall, fear coursing through him at the panicked look on her face. "I know you just said he isn't scheduled for anything, but something could have come up! No! Damn it, Ryan, he's there somewhere. I mean, who would take our baby? _How_ could someone take him? The neonatal unit is practically Fort Knox. No! No, he has to be there."

She started to sink to the ground, and Zach caught her up in his arms. Taking the cell from her hand, he told Ryan that they would be there as soon as they could. Turning off the cell, Zach swung Kendall into his arms and took her over to the bed. She was shaking like a leaf. "It isn't true, Zach. It's just some sort of mix-up. Spike is there somewhere."

Zach rubbed her arms. "Of course he is. PVH has state of the art security. Let's get dressed and you can tell me about it on the way. I'm sure by the time we get there, Spike will be back in his father's arms and everything will be fine." He gathered her in his arms and held her till she stopped trembling.

Ian woke up with a start. Something was wrong, he could feel it. He snatched up his cell phone. Damn! The piece of shit had gone dead again. This was the second time this week. It was fully charged, yet it kept turning itself off. He turned it on and saw that he had two messages. Dixie had called to let him know that she and Tad were going to board a plane soon to Minneapolis. Tommy had also called less than an hour ago with an urgent message to call him back. Ian hit the speed dial. "T? My phone went dead so I'm just getting your message. How's our patient? All patched up?" Ian's blood ran cold when Tommy solemnly told him the latest development. A little more than an hour ago, Tommy had gone to check on Madden and discovered that he was gone. The nurse who had been attending him was out cold on the floor.

Ian sprang up from his cot. "He escaped? That madman is on the loose? How could this happen, Tommy? What the fuck is the matter with you? Goddamn it! Find him, Tommy! Call in whoever you have to, use whatever resources you have to! Jesus Christ, I don't believe this."

Ian pressed the end button and took deep breaths, gripping the edge of the desk. He needed to get to Erica. Madden already tried to kidnap her once, he might do it again. He had to find her and keep her safe, even if it meant blowing his cover. Ian grabbed his keys and raced out the door, diving into his rental car. He started the car and peeled rubber in his haste to get to the Montgomery mansion. He hoped like hell that Madden would be smart and crawl into a hole somewhere where no one could find him. But he knew it was a foolish notion. Greg was way too arrogant for that.

Greenlee opened her eyes and peered at the clock on the dresser. She hadn't gotten much sleep, but she knew she wouldn't be able to stay in bed. She was too excited. She stretched as she contemplated the night before. Max was wonderful. He had shown her such a good time. When they finally came back to her place, they had stayed up even later talking about nothing in particular. Max had been a complete gentleman. Greenlee was attracted to him, but she wasn't ready for anything sexual. He had known that without her even telling him. He had also figured out that while she didn't want sex, she did ache to be touched. As they talked, he held her in his arms on top of the covers. It had been pure bliss.

Greenlee crawled out of bed and looked in the mirror. She made a face. Well, she had some time before Max got back from taking that call. She wanted to look presentable for whatever they were going to do today. Max was such a wonderful respite from all the grief and misery that she'd been feeling almost non-stop since she left Pine Valley. The loneliness had been so bad that there were times when she felt tempted to go back.

Greenlee had just finished repairing her bed head when Max walked into the flat. She gave him a beatific smile. "I have this great idea for where we can get some brunch! There's a superb little bistro that makes the most fabulous omelets." Her voice trailed off at the expression on his face. "What? You don't like omelets? They have other stuff."

Max gestured for her to sit down. "Greenlee…I can't go to brunch with you. We can't see each other again."

Greenlee was barely able to make out his jumbled excuses over the roaring in her ears. This couldn't be happening. She had felt such a connection with him. A connection she hadn't felt since…since…

Max broke off when she started to sob. He put his hands on her shoulders. "Greenlee…"

She shoved his hands away. "Shut up! Shut the hell up! You're just like all the rest. You draw me in so that I start to feel, start to have hope…and then you cut me off!"

She stood up, and almost lost her balance. Max shot up and put his arms around her to steady her. She struggled to get away from him. "Get your hands off me!" Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Just go away! I don't ever want to see your face again!"

Reluctantly, Max started moving towards the door. Greenlee clutched her abdomen and moaned. He stopped. "Greenlee…are you okay?"

Her eyes widened. "Oh God. Something's happening. That felt like…like a contraction. I think. I don't know, but it didn't feel good." She doubled over and moaned again.

Max sped over to her and scooped her up. "I'm taking you to the hospital."

Erica unlocked the door to her car, making sure not to spill her coffee. She really didn't need the caffeine. Despite the early hour, she was wide awake and bursting with excitement over her upcoming interview in New York with Angelina Jolie. Angelina would be at the taping with her new baby – a perfect tableau for the New Beginnings theme. Erica sighed as she slipped into the driver seat. The clouds of her life were finally starting to lift. If she could get her relationship with Jackson back on track; somehow manage to get Kendall to throw Zach over for Ryan; and if Jeff would disappear like Greg, life would be near perfect.

Erica thought about her newest little grandbaby as she put the key in the ignition. She paused before turning it, frowning at the noise she heard. It sounded like a baby gurgling, as if thinking of Spike had conjured him up. Maybe she did need the caffeine.

The hairs on the back of her neck lifted and she knew without a doubt that she was being watched. She slowly turned her head. Her mouth fell open in horror. Greg Madden was in the back seat. He was holding Spike in his arms. "Oh Dear God. This can't be happening. _Spike_. You have my daughter's baby."

Tears welled in her eyes as Greg cradled Spike with one arm, and with the other he lifted a gun to her head. "Drive."


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's note: Sorry for the delay. I had technical difficulties in accessing this chapter, and had to wait until it could be resolved._

Chapter 5

Zach and Kendall arrived at the neonatal unit. Despite Zach's hopeful prediction, Ryan's arms were empty. "Oh God, Ryan, where is he? Where's my baby?"

Ryan took a deep breath. "They haven't found him. Security is trying to contact the nurse who was scheduled to be on shift before Julia came in. Julia said that when she arrived, Betty wasn't at her post and Spike wasn't in his bassinet. She checked all the usual places and neither were anywhere to be found."

Kendall gripped Zach's arm. "You think this nurse took off with Spike?"

Julia came into the room. "While we can't rule it out, I have to say that I find it hard to believe she would do that. Betty has been working in this hospital for years and her love for babies is matched only by her professionalism. The fact that both she and Spike are missing comes as a complete shock to anyone that knows her."

Kendall clenched her fists. "I don't give a shit how shocked you are. What are you doing to find the bitch?"

Julia held up her hands in a calming gesture. "We're trying to get in touch with her right now."

Kendall sneered. "Get in touch with her? How very AT&T of you! Why aren't the cops pulling up to her house as we speak?"

Julia sighed. "The police are on their way. They've put out an APB."

Kendall sat down in a nearby chair, hugging her arms to her abdomen. "I can't believe this is happening. I almost lost my baby once, and now it's happening again. I didn't even have the chance to bring him home." Tears streamed down her face. Zach sat next to her and pulled her into his arms. He spoke soothing words to her.

Ryan fought tears of his own. Julia rubbed his arm. "You want me to call Erin and Jonathan? Let them know what's going on?"

Ryan took a deep breath. "Thanks, but I'll wait a bit - see if we get some more news."

Kendall looked up from Zach's shoulder. "I need my mother. I need to tell her what's happened."

Zach whipped out his cell phone. "I'll call her." He kissed Kendall on the head and went out into the hallway. He dialed Erica's cell number and was immediately bumped to voice mail. Ending the call, he tried the number to New Beginnings. Val answered the phone. "Val, this is Zach Slater. I need to speak to Erica, it's urgent."

Val made a huffing noise. "Get in line. We're going out of our minds down here. Erica missed her flight to New York and she won't answer her cell. She's supposed to interview Angelina Jolie, for God's sake! Do you know how hard it was to get her? Jesus, I need some Xanax."

Warning bells went off in Zach's head. "Erica's missing as well?"

"_As well_? Who _else_ has disappeared?"

"Her grandson, Spike."

"Oh my fucking God! Is it too early to get drunk? I'm so sorry, Mr. Slater, I don't know what to tell you. Maybe Erica had another one of her goofy spells and decided to take Spike for a stroll in the park instead of making it to the _most important interview of her career_. Look, I need to go. I have to put out some fires, here. Ta." Val disconnected the line.

Zach gripped his cell phone, trying to think rationally. He looked up to see David Hayward approaching him. "Did I just hear correctly? Erica and Spike are missing?"

Zach took a deep breath, not wanting to deal with Hayward. Kendall and Ryan came out into the hallway. "Did you get ahold of my mother?"

Zach gestured with his cell phone. "Val just told me that Erica missed her flight to New York."

Kendall's eyes widened. "Oh! The interview with Angelina Jolie - that was today. She missed her flight?"

Zach nodded. "And she's not answering her cell phone."

Kendall shook her head. "That doesn't sound like her at all. This can't be for real. Both my mother _and_ my baby are missing? What could have happened to them? Are the two connected, do you think?"

David cleared his throat. "I think it's entirely possible that they're connected. And I think I know who's responsible. Greg Madden."

Erica fumbled with her lap belt, pausing to try and get ahold of herself. After a moment, she had calmed herself enough to be able to click the buckle into place. She glared up at Greg, defiantly. Ignoring her look, he handed her the baby. "Oh, my sweet little boy. It's going to be okay. It will. Yes, it will." She cooed at her grandchild, while Madden took his seat and clicked his belt into place.

Greg pressed a button that indicated to the pilot that they were ready for take-off. After awhile, the jet started to move. Erica glanced over at Madden. "He really should be in an infant carrier."

Greg's smile was rueful. "I agree. Unfortunately there are no stores open this early in the morning. Not to worry, I'm sure the flight will be smooth and he'll be perfectly safe in your arms."

Erica took a deep breath. "Just exactly how much money do you have that you can afford _two_ jets?"

Greg smirked. "My parents were very well off and I was an only child. Then there's the fact that helping people start families is a very lucrative field."

Erica narrowed her eyes. "Ah yes, the baby black market. I'm sure you were well paid by your _adoptive_ parents."

Greg frowned. "'Black market' implies that I was engaged in illegal activity. Every adoption was completely above board."

Erica quelled the nausea. "I don't want to hear your pathetic rationalizations. What I want to hear is where we are going. What are your plans for Spike and I?"

Greg gave her a self-satisfied smile. "I thought that we could go to my favorite retreat and have some time together alone, just the three of us. Perhaps if you get to know me better in a more intimate setting, you'll realize just how perfect we are for each other."

Erica looked skyward, fighting for self-control. "I'm well aware of your freakish obsession with me. What I don't understand is why you had to include an innocent baby in your twisted fantasy?"

Greg cocked his head. "Why Erica, my sweet. Surely you don't think that I would leave my own flesh and blood behind?"

Leo tapped his foot nervously in the obstetrics waiting room, hoping that his impulsive behavior hasn't resulted in Greenlee's baby being in danger. God, what had he been thinking? He had it right the first time he bumped into her at the cafe – he turned and ran in the opposite direction. But after a tortured night of dreaming about their wedding, their lovemaking, their knock-down drag-out fights, he'd been left feeling emotionally raw. When she showed up again the next day and stared up at him with her beautiful, vulnerable eyes – he asked her out on a date without even thinking. His mother almost lost her mind for real right there in the café.

The doctor came out of the examining room and Leo sprang up. "Mr. Smythe, not to worry. Your wife will not be giving birth today. She was having false labor pains brought on by stress. We were just about to perform an ultrasound to check on the baby. Would you like to come in?"

Not bothering to correct the doctor, Leo went into the room. A sonogram technician was moving a device over Greenlee's exposed belly, looking for a good picture of the fetus. Greenlee was staring at the screen, and didn't notice Leo come to stand beside her. He hoped she would let him stay – he really wanted to see this.

They watched as the technician and the doctor pointed out the baby, making note of various parts of his body. Leo watched in fascination the tiny life that Greenlee was carrying inside of her. The technician turned up the sound so that they could hear the rapid heartbeat. Greenlee gazed lovingly at the screen. She murmured words that Leo couldn't make out, but understood completely. The woman he deeply loved was becoming a mother. The longing to have her back was so intense that it threatened to poleaxe him. He placed his hand on the back the bed to try and steady himself.

The doctor smiled at Greenlee and said that the baby was perfectly healthy. "He is very big and well developed. If you _had_ given birth today, I think he would have been fine. We'll give you a moment alone so you can get dressed." The doctor and technician left the room.

Greenlee leaned her head back, dizzy with relief. Her baby was going to be okay. Tears welled in her eyes as they often did these days. She was an emotional wreck and tired…oh so tired. She needed sleep. Wearily she turned her head to the side. Through her blurred vision she saw someone was standing next to her, staring at the TV monitor. Some part of her registered that it was Max. She looked up into his face and gasped softly. He shifted his gaze to her, and the expression on his face was one of love and tenderness. "Greens," he whispered hoarsely.

Greenlee wiped the tears away, but more continued to flow. She felt light-headed. It couldn't be. The face was different, but the eyes…and the voice… "Leo? Oh my God, it's you."

His expression was grave. He shook his head slightly. "Greenlee…"

She grabbed his hand and pulled it to her. She examined the topography of his hand. "This is Leo's hand. It's you. I know it's you. The face is different but everything else is the same. Admit it! Admit that you're my husband." She held his hand to her cheek. "Please."

"Greenlee…" Leo couldn't continue the charade any more. He couldn't look into her beautiful face and lie to her. He blurted everything out in a rush. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Greenlee, I wanted to protect you from the truth. But I can't do it." He sat on the edge of the bed. "I didn't die when I went over the falls. I was rescued and blackmailed into pretending I was dead." He swallowed hard. "I'll explain everything, but you have to know that I never wanted to leave you. The past four years have been a living hell." Greenlee stared at him, her expression blank. "Greenlee? Maybe we should go someplace private so I can tell you the whole story." He stood up again. "Here, let me help you up."

She still had his right hand held to her cheek, so he put his left hand on her opposite shoulder. Greenlee knocked it away. She dropped his right hand as if it were on fire. "No. NO! How could you? How could you tell me such a vile thing? I lost my head for a moment and thought my husband was resurrected from the dead, and…and you take advantage of me by pretending you're him? You sick son of a bitch!"

She scrambled off the bed, adjusting her hospital gown. "This was all a set-up, wasn't it? You saw me in the café and recognized me. You researched me and found out how rich I am. You must have decided that I was ripe for the picking. Poor little Greenlee, widowed, divorced and pregnant. You knew I would be craving companionship, so you swooped in with your charming gentleman façade. I can't believe I fell for it. God, I'm pathetic."

Leo ran his fingers through his hair. "Greenlee, please, just let me explain."

She put her hands over her ears. "Get out! Get out or I'll call the police."

Knowing she would make good on her threat, and worried that he would trigger more contractions, Leo left the room.

Zach, Ryan and Kendall stared at David. Ryan cleared his throat. "Greg Madden? He's been gone for like a month. How do you know it's him? I mean, why would he come back _now_?"

David sighed and put his hands on his hips. "He didn't come _back_ to Pine Valley because he never left. I've had him…contained…all this time."

Zach's eyebrows shot up. "Contained?"

David nodded, reluctantly. "I had him held in a secure place to try and coerce him into telling me where Kate is."

Kendall frowned. "So after he told you what you wanted to know, you set him free?"

David shook his head. "I didn't set him free - he never told me what I wanted to know. When I came back from Scarsdale and went to check on him, he was gone."

Zach shook his head in disgust. "He escaped? While you were off trying to get in Dixie's pants, Madden got loose? You really are a complete fuck-up."

David glared at him. "I don't know what the hell happened! It should have been completely impossible for him to get out. There's only one way that could have happened – someone let him out."

Ryan rubbed his chin. "You think maybe it was Josh?"

David shrugged. "I think it's a very good possibility, although I don't know how he could have known where Madden was. I haven't exactly asked him about it. He obviously doesn't know who imprisoned Greg or the cops would be handcuffing me right now. If he did let Greg out and I start asking him questions, he might figure out it was me and turn me in."

Ryan folded his arms. "How do you know _we_ won't turn you in?"

David scoffed. "Tattle on me for doing something that either of you would have done in a heartbeat if you had gotten to Madden first? Besides, you have other things to worry about. Finding Erica and Spike. That's why I'm telling you what happened, so you don't waste your time pursuing false leads. The night that I captured Greg, Erica was with him. He had drugged her and put her on his jet to fly God knows where. Now that he's escaped, I think it's very likely that he tried again."

Kendall clasped her hands together. "Okay, that possibly explains my mother's disappearance. Why would he take Spike? What does he want with my baby boy?"

David shook his head. "I don't know. He tried to make you give Spike up for adoption, right? And your decision to keep your son probably really pissed him off. He's maniacal about getting his way with these babies. Look at how stubborn he's been about keeping Kate's whereabouts a secret. Once he's decided that someone is not fit to raise children, he will do anything to make sure that person doesn't come near them."

Ryan took a deep breath. "That makes a lot of sense. But I think there's a more significant reason why Madden would want Spike."

Zach gave Ryan a warning look. "All this speculation about why that twisted freak does anything is a waste of time. If Madden was the one who took Erica and Spike, it makes sense why the alarm in the nursery didn't go off. He would have had access."

Kendall narrowed her eyes. "Zach, why are you changing the subject? What is it you don't want Ryan to say?"

Zach exhaled. "I just don't want to waste valuable time with what ifs. Madden's a slippery bastard. We need to move fast if we're going to find him."

Ryan spread his hands. "Well the first thing we need to do is try and get confirmation. Madden is the logical suspect, but we don't have anything concrete. I don't want to be chasing windmills."

Joe came up at that moment. "We found Betty. She said that she left the hospital because she had gotten an emergency page from her family. Her father has cancer and could go at any moment, so her sister pages her whenever things are looking bad. When Betty got home, her sister said she never made the call. The cops checked Betty's pager and saw that she was telling the truth – the emergency code was there."

Kendall put her hands on her hips. "I don't give a damn about her dying father, she should have never left my child alone!"

Joe sighed and shook his head. "I was just about to get to that. She _didn't_ leave him alone. She left Spike with someone she knew and trusted and who appeared to have every right to be in the neonatal unit visiting the child he helped create. Doctor Greg Madden."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Dixie flipped her cell phone closed. She was glad that Tad was a few aisles back and couldn't see her reaction to the news Ian had just given her. She wasn't ready to deal with whatever questions Tad might have. _Might_ – hah! Tad was always full of questions. Always suspicious. Always condemning. When she told him that her latest lead on Kate had come from Ian Wells, the sneer that spread across his face had her itching to wipe it off with her fist. Despite his insistence, she refused to give him any information on how Ian had gotten this lead. She told him that if he didn't want to pursue it, she damn well did. She got on the phone and booked the next flight to Minneapolis. Sighing in disgust, Tad followed up with a booking of his own. The flight was almost full due to people traveling for the Fourth of July weekend.

Dixie sighed, squeezing her eyes shut. Madden escaped. The bastard had taken off with Erica and Spike. Her heart ached for Zach, Kendall and Ryan. How many more lives was this man going to wreck? Ian told her that he was on his way to see Zach. He said the time for hiding was in the past – he was about to resurrect himself. He wasn't going fully public yet, which meant that she shouldn't mention to Tad that the man he referred to as "Eurotrash" was none other than the very much alive Chris Stamp – FBI agent and former fiancé of Erica Kane. Not that it was any of Tad's business, but he'd probably be pissed when he found out the truth. Even though it had nothing to do with him, Tad would consider it yet one more secret she kept from him.

She initially spotted Chris in Prague. It had taken her a little while to remember him – they weren't in each other's orbits much before she left Pine Valley. Once she did have full recall, she realized how invaluable his help would be. He was an FBI agent with access to a lot of information. Because she kept up with the news from home by reading the PV Bulletin online, she knew that he was supposed to be dead. Dixie approached him and told him all about her travails. He told her he was always willing to help out a pretty lady – especially when they shared the unusual status of faking their deaths.

Chris, who had donned the identity of a rich playboy named Ian Wells, helped Dixie for a year before his secret government work required him to back off. During that time she posed as his lover. He created a fake identity for her – Rosanna Cahill. It wasn't long before the lover charade became real. He was a very attractive and charming man. They were never any danger of falling in love. It had been the only respite from her unending grief over not being able to snare Dr. Madden.

Dixie was torn from her musings by the ringing of her cell phone. She checked the screen. Zach. She knew why he was calling. She stepped into the aisle and went to the tiny bathroom. Closing the door, she answered her cell. "Hello?"

"Dixie, I've got some distressing news. Where are you?"

"I'm on an airplane heading to Minneapolis. Tad's with me - we have a lead on Kate."

"That's great. I hope it's legitimate this time."

Dixie sighed. "I certainly hope so. It came straight from the horse's mouth."

Zach frowned. He sat down on a nearby chair. He had found an empty room the next hallway over so he could make some calls to his people, get a few things set in motion. He was calling Dixie to warn her about Madden. "The horse's mouth? You mean Greg Madden?"

"Yes, Greg Madden. I know where he's been the past month."

Zach leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. "David told you?"

"No, the person who rescued Greg from David's hiding place was the one who told me."

Zach rubbed his chin. "Who was that? Tad?"

Dixie cleared her throat. "No, it wasn't Tad. Zach, there's some things you ought to know. Remember I told you once that there was a guy who was helping me look for Kate - Ian Wells?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I didn't tell you everything. When I told Ian I was coming back to Pine Valley because I was worried about my family, he told me that if I got into trouble I should call you."

Zach frowned. "What? I thought we met at the cemetery by accident. You already knew about me?"

"Running into you at the cemetery _was_ an accident. But when you told me your name, I already knew who you were. After I was shot, it was a no-brainer for me to come to you. Ian told me that you were very good at keeping secrets."

Zach leaned back. "How the hell would he know – I've never heard of the guy."

"Not by the name Ian Wells. You knew him as someone else." The intercom clicked on and the flight attendant asked for everyone to return to their seats in preparation for landing. "Look, I can't talk anymore. We're going to land and I have to turn off my phone. Ian is coming to see you - he'll explain everything."

"Will he explain why he let Madden loose to wreak havoc on my wife's family?"

"I'm sorry about that, Zach. Ian was holding him until we could get DNA confirmation on Kate, and then he was going to turn him over to the Feds. Unfortunately Greg escaped. Ian just told me about it a little while ago. I'm so, so sorry."

Dixie quickly hung up and Zach stared at his cell.

Zach cast his mind about trying to think of who this Ian Wells could possibly be. He heard a voice behind him in the small room. "It used to be that the only thing we had in common were our rugged good looks." Zach whipped around and stared at the man whose photograph he had been holding just the previous night. Sam Keith.

Greenlee hugged her long body pillow, trying unsuccessfully to find a comfortable position. Her baby was apparently restless too, because she felt his little feet poking everywhere. Normally such activity made her smile. Tonight it made her feel even more miserable. She remembered the previous night when she held Max's hand to her belly. The look of awe on his face had been priceless. She was particularly giddy over his reaction, because up until that point she had no one to share such tender moments with. Fresh tears spilled onto her cheeks, which were starting to feel raw. It was completely ridiculous. Why was she so upset over a man she met a couple of days ago? She could use the hormone excuse only so much.

She wanted so badly to confide in Kendall. She missed her. When she read about her friend being in a coma, her first instinct had been to pack her bags and head straight to the airport. But then she read other articles where reporters had interviewed Ryan about the danger to his unborn child. The way he gushed about Kendall and the baby had infuriated Greenlee and reminded her of why she left in the first place. It seemed like so many of her actions these days were ruled by hurt and anger.

In the time that she'd been in Paris, she hadn't gone to visit Bianca or Maggie. She would have had to swear them to secrecy about her pregnancy, and she didn't want to put them in that position. Greenlee sighed and rubbed her sore eyes. She was sick of hiding and running. She missed Pine Valley. She missed Jackson. She missed Ryan. Staying angry with him and longing for Leo was bringing her nothing but heartache. Every so often she thought of the time Zach talked to her and told her how much it had hurt Ethan not to know his father. Ethan was now dead – they would never have that chance to bond. Did she really want to do the same thing to Ryan and their child?

Greenlee got out of bed and dialed the cell number of the pilot for her grandfather's jet. He answered in a tired voice, and she instructed him to make plans to fly to Pine Valley in the morning. For better or worse, she was headed home.

Kendall forced a smile at Joe Martin's attempts to reassure her. "Dr. Martin, I don't blame you for what's happened. You couldn't have known that Madden would come back and take Spike."

Joe patted her hand. "My dear, that's beside the point. As soon as it became clear that Madden's activities were wildly unethical, I should have gone to security and had all of his clearances removed. I was too complacent over the fact that he disappeared. We all thought he would never come back. I can't help but wonder where he's been all this time."

Kendall glanced over at David. "Who knows. He went into hiding, and then as soon as Spike was well enough to leave the hospital, he swooped in and…and…" She broke off.

Joe put his arm around her. He glanced up at Julia. "I think you should call Jackson Montgomery. It's not confirmed yet whether Madden is responsible for Erica's disappearance, but I think he should be informed, just in case." Julia nodded and went to the nurse's station.

Kendall pressed her hands to her face. She hoped Zach would get back soon. He was off somewhere calling his people to start the search for Greg. She always knew he had some sort of network he relied on for such tasks, but it was only now that she realized that his network had probably been formed when he worked for Chris. It wasn't a mob thing as a lot of people liked to assume.

Ryan was also somewhere making phone calls, to inform Jonathan and Erin what happened. As soon as they had gotten confirmation from Nurse Betty that the last person to be with Spike was Madden, there was no longer any question of a mix-up. Spike had been kidnapped. Kendall made a keening noise as she thought of that awful word. She stood up. "I need to find Zach. I need my husband."

Chris sat down in a chair next to Zach. "I still can't get over that you married the daughter of the woman that I almost married. Ain't that a pisser? And we've both helped Dixie in her search for her daughter, Kate."

Taking a deep breath, Zach asked, "You're the one posing as Ian Wells?" Chris nodded. Zach leaned back in his chair. "When Kendall showed me the picture of Chris Stamp and told me about how he died, I made the mistake of believing it. You hadn't contacted me since that last assignment in Rio, so I assumed that the reason was because you really were dead." Zach shook his head. "I should have known better. A man like you would never get taken down by one of your drones."

Chris smiled smugly. "Stupid fuck-up aimed for my heart. As if I would get near a scumbag like him without a kevlar vest."

Zach glared at him. "You're the fuck-up, letting it escalate like that. A little girl almost lost her life."

Chris raised an eyebrow. "Maddie Grey. Maria's daughter. I was pretty surprised when I found out that the woman you had stashed in your little casita and Maria Santos Grey were one and the same. More coincidences."

Zach stood up and paced around the room. "Let's talk about the only coincidence that matters. Greg Madden. He has Erica and Spike."

Chris leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. "I don't think there's a mistake of mine that I regret more. I assumed that Madden was too physically and psychologically weakened to pull off an escape. He bounced back quicker than I imagined."

Zach cocked his head. "You thought he was too weak? What'd you do to him?"

Chris laughed. "I just gave him a tiny shove over the edge. He was teetering on the brink because of what _David_ did to him." Chris told him about the box in the park.

Zach sat back down. "Jesus. He only said he imprisoned Madden. I had no idea, but I'm not surprised Hayward would pull something like that." He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. What matters is that we need to find out where Greg's gone."

Chris rubbed his face. "Madden is the most paranoid son of a bitch on the face of the earth. I spent a year with Dixie using whatever money and contacts in the government that I could to find this guy. He always eluded us. The only thing that drew him out of the woodwork was his obsession with Erica. Like a moth to a flame, he just couldn't resist setting up shop where she lived. Not that I blame him – damn it was hard to leave her when the time came…"

Zach raised his eyebrow, deciding not to comment. "Erica was what drew him here, but I think what made him stay was when his so-called son moved to town and went to work for Erica."

Chris narrowed his eyes. "So you know the truth about Josh?" Zach nodded and told him about the video tape of the procedure. "Oh that's right. Dixie said that was also where she learned about donor #1. I'm sure it's occurred to you that your wife's little boy may not be Ryan's. I'm surprised you haven't shouted it from the rooftops."

Zach folded his arms. "Right. I'm going to clue my wife into the fact that she may have been violated by that freak, just so I can have Ryan out of my hair. The thought of that man jacking off into a cup and approaching Kendall with it makes my skin crawl. I'm not going to burden her with that nightmare. Besides, as much as Ryan annoys me - he loves that baby. He had a vasectomy, and Spike may be his only chance to be a father. I'm not going to take that away from him."

Chris smirked. "So, you're content to let Ryan play house with a child and a wife that aren't his? You're a prince among men. Don't worry, your good deeds will be rewarded. Soon Ryan will have a real wife and real child that are all his, and he'll leave your little family alone."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Zach watched as Reggie put his arm around Kendall and spoke to her in a low voice, his expression indicating that he was probably telling her what he would love to do to Greg Madden if he got his hands on him. Zach shifted his gaze to the flower arrangement on the mantle, as he contemplated to himself what Chris/Sam/Ian had meant about Ryan's real family. Zach wanted to question him about that cryptic statement and a lot of other things, but he had realized at that moment that he'd been gone from Kendall too long. She was suffering and needed his support. He stood up and told Chris they'd talk later, then left the room.

When he got back to the neonatal unit, the cops arrived and began a lengthy interrogation of everyone involved. David had disappeared by that point, and no one brought up his name. They had mutually agreed that the cops didn't need to be splitting their focus. Priority number one was finding Madden.

They did tell the police about Erica's disappearance, and the officer said that Derek Frye was on his way to the Montgomery mansion to question Jackson. After the cops finally finished with them, they went on to the mansion to see Jackson. When they got there, Derek was telling him that normally Erica could not be officially declared a missing person until 48 hours had passed. Her accusation of a previous kidnapping attempt could not be taken into account because it had gone unreported. However, the kidnapping of Spike had altered things. Derek was looking at the two incidents as linked, and therefore investigating them in conjunction.

The cops went to go set up shop in another room. Kendall gave an officer a key to the condo so they could retrieve whatever they would need to aid in the search. Derek put in a request for an Amber alert. When Kendall heard his words, she broke down into tears again. Zach went over to Kendall and held her. Erin arrived and sat on the couch next to Ryan, her arm around him. Jonathan took Lily somewhere away from the noise and confusion.

Jackson called Bianca and told her what was going on. He persuaded her not to make a late night flight out of Paris when there was still the possibility that they could catch Greg before nightfall in Pine Valley. He convinced her to wait another day to see what happened next. He handed the phone to Kendall and she talked with her sister for a long time.

When she hung up, Kendall paced the living room floor. "Okay, so what _does_ happen next? What can we do now? We have to be doing something. My baby is out there."

Jackson came over and put his hands on her shoulders. "Sweetheart, there's not much we can do right now. There are people out there covering all the bases. Routes of escape, possible destinations, likely places they might stop. Word has been put out so that the general public can be on the lookout. At this point it's just a matter of waiting for information to come in."

Kendall shook her head. "That's not enough! I can't just sit here…twiddling my thumbs. What if my baby is crying for me? What if he wants to hear his mother's voice. I'm going crazy."

Jackson rubbed her arm. "Kendall, as much as the thought of Erica being in danger kills me," He paused, striving to maintain calm, "I have to say that I hope she _is_ with Greg. If he has your mother, then you can bet that she will be fighting for her grandson. You couldn't ask for a better person to love and keep watch over your little one." Kendall's anger dissolved into grief again. Jackson pulled her to him and held her.

The doorbell rang, and Reggie answered it. Opal came in. Seeing Jackson and Kendall embracing, she let out a wail. "Oh my stars, it's true isn't it? Erica and Spike have been taken by that madman!" She rushed forward and wrapped her arms around the two of them. "Oh you poor things, what an awful, awful thing to happen. After everything you all have been through." She pulled away and regarded Ryan. "I'm so sorry your sweet boy is missing." She clapped her hands against her cheeks, tears rolling down her face. "Oh, but if anyone can get away from that horrible man and get Spike back home, it's Erica. She's the fiercest mama bear I ever did know."

Kendall pulled away from Jackson. "You're right, Opal. Jack said the same thing. My mother will protect Spike, keep him safe. And if I'm going to be a chip off the old block, I need to get off my ass and do whatever it takes to find them." She grabbed her purse.

Zach stepped forward. "What are you going to do?"

She raised her eyebrows. "I haven't decided yet, but I know what I'm _not_ going to do: sit around here and mope and moan. You can either come with me, or get out of my way." She headed towards the door, and Zach followed suit, a ghost of a smile on his lips.

Leo dragged himself up the stairs, pausing at the entrance to his building. He waited a long moment for the nausea to pass, then pressed the intercom button to his flat. A tinny voice answered. "Who is this?"

Pressing his face flush against the speaker, Leo called out, "Mooootherrr. Mommie dearest! It's your pride and joy. The apple of your eye. It's Leooooooo!" He sang the last two words at the top of his lungs.

There was a buzzing noise as Vanessa triggered the lock mechanism. Not trusting himself to climb more stairs, he took the decrepit elevator to the third floor. When he got off, Vanessa was waiting at the door and unceremoniously yanked him into the flat. Slamming the door, she glared at him. "What the hell were you thinking with that performance out on the street?" You just completely blew our cover!"

Leo slouched onto the sofa and scoffed. "It's….it's…" He blearily tried to focus on his watch. "It's really late. I don't think our 'mark' was strolling by at that particular moment. And even if he was, he probably would have decided I was stinking drunk." He paused a moment, then burst out laughing. "Guess what? I am stinking drunk!" He roared at his own joke, then stopped abruptly when his dinner threatened to become resurrected. "You know…I think that last Skull and Crossbones was kiiiind of a bad idea."

Leo took deep breaths. The last thing he wanted to do was ralph at his mother's feet. It didn't help that she was bending over him, about to launch into one of her tirades. "You're pathetic! As talented as you are at our line of work, you still manage to be completely maudlin when it comes to that snip of a girl. I rue the day we ever came to Pine Valley and you set eyes on Greenlee Smythe. I wish I'd succeeded in killing her while I had the excuse of being crazy."

Vanessa gasped as Leo sprang up and grabbed a fistful of her shirt. Yanking her towards him, he held his face millimeters from hers. "If you say anything like that again, you'll find out just how much of your homicidal genes you passed on to me."

Fear sparked in her eyes momentarily, followed by exasperation. She wrinkled her nose at his boozy breath. "Leo, quit saying such nonsense. You would never kill anyone. None of my boys have it in them to kill in cold blood. There is no homicidal gene, because I'm not homicidal. I was a business woman." She disentangled her blouse from Leo's fingers, and walked over to the window. "People die in that line of work, it's a hazard of the industry. On occasion I had to give the order for someone to be taken out if they were interfering with operations. The truth is, I find that aspect of management distasteful, which was why I never handled things personally. Except for that one time with the chauffeur. I've explained to you how horrified I was by it afterwards."

She sighed and put her hand on her chest. "As for Frankie's death…it still haunts me. I blame Chris Stamp for what he did to me. Those drugs he gave me affected my judgement, made me lose control." She turned back to Leo. "I didn't mean what I said earlier. As much as I despise Greenlee, I would never have tried to kill her if I had been in my right mind." She looked down, her expression one of regret and shame.

Leo clapped his hands together. "Bravo, mother. Even after all this time you're still a master deceiver. Much as I enjoyed this encore performance, it won't work as well as it did four years ago. Don't get me wrong, I believe most of what you say. Those anti-psychotics really did send you over the edge. The thing is, mother, that you were already staring down the abyss." Leo leaned forward and looked down, as if standing on a cliff. "All your pretty words don't change the fact that the _reason_ Chris went after you was because you were a drug lord. You were responsible for the deaths and addictions of hundreds of people. Maybe you weren't waving a gun around, shouting 'Say hello to my little friend,' but you were and still are a ruthless, cold-blooded, narcissistic, money-grubbing, power-worshipping PIG." He spit the last word out, and paused to wipe his mouth.

Leo stabbed his finger at Vanessa. "I gave up my life for you! Literally! I emotionally wrecked the woman I love for you…for my brothers. You asked me earlier what the hell I was thinking. Good question! Were you worth it? NO! Were my brothers worth it?" He laughed mirthlessly, "I saved David's ass, for what? So he could continue fucking with people's lives? He helped some bimbo keep Bianca from her baby! I wanted to go back to Pine Valley and choke the shit out of him for that one."

Vanessa folded her arms. "That bimbo is your _niece_."

Leo shook his head in disgust. "Yeah, another shining addition to our family tree. She takes after her grandmother, except she got her claws into a Chandler instead of a Cortlandt."

Vanessa put her hands on her hips. "If you were so disgusted with your family, why did you choose to remain dead? Why not let Chris throw the lot of us in jail to rot while you run back to your precious Greenlee?"

Leo sank to the couch. "Because by the time I realized how stupid it was of me to protect you all, Greenlee had moved on. She fell in love with Ryan." He closed his eyes, trying to keep the room from spinning. "I couldn't wreck her world a second time by popping back into her life. I figured Ryan would make her happy. I thought they would be good for each other. I had no idea…no idea he'd pull the same stunt I did." He put his head in his hands. "Now she's all alone, mother. I can't do it any more. I can't turn away from her. Not for you, not for David or Trey or _anyone_. She's my wife, and I love her."

"Leo, you need to pull yourself together. We are so close to getting an inside track to Lazare. It's only a matter of time before we get the goods on him. You think _I'm_ ruthless, what about him? He's responsible for _thousands_ of death."

"I've read the dossier, mother! I was completely on board with taking the son of a bitch down, but that was before I saw Greenlee again. I'm not doing this anymore, I'm finished. Let another team come in and romance Lazare and his daughter."

"Dammit, Leo, it's not that simple. You can't just switch off undercover teams, this sort of groundwork takes months to lay down. Months that Lazare will be out there…"

Leo stood up, interrupting her. "Shut. The hell. UP! Chris may buy into all his 'save the world' speeches, but I know you sure as hell don't. You know damn well that if I walk away, Chris will no longer have a babysitter for you. Since he's too busy to keep an eye on you himself, he'll just go back to his original plan and drop you off at the nearest federal penitentiary. You don't give a damn about Lazare, and you certainly don't give a damn about me!" Leo swept his hands outward. "I'm done, Vanessa." Leo went into his bedroom and slammed the door shut.

Vanessa paced around, trying to figure out what she should do. Call Chris and warn him that Leo was unraveling? But what if it was just drunken ramblings? Maybe all he needed to do was sleep it off. She bit her lip. She'd see how he was in the morning. She hoped he came to his senses. The last thing she ever wanted to do was hurt her precious son. But if she had to…she would.

Chris drove around, keeping an eye out on Erica's car. It was a waste of time. She wasn't in an accident. She was kidnapped. Chris had every resource at his disposal keeping track of all routes of escape. There was nothing that he could do himself at this point, which was why he was driving around. He had to be moving, doing something, even if it wasn't really productive.

He'd never loved any woman as deeply as he had loved Erica. Ryan's mother had been sweet and brought out his protective instincts more than anyone. But Erica had the combination of fire and femininity for which pedestals had been created. When she cheated on him with Jackson, it brought him to his knees – something not even the most cunning criminal had ever accomplished. The opportunity to fake his death could not have come at a better time. Erica's power over him had been too great.

Leaving Pine Valley had also given him an opportunity to keep a closer watch on his two latest employees. It usually wasn't a concern. He had ways, such as freezing a person's assets, to dissuade them from disappearing. In some of the more restless ones he implanted a transmitter under their skin. In the end, their two choices were to work for Chris or go to jail. Unfortunately, Leo had no criminal record. At any time he could simply get on an airplane and fly back home. Chris could have manufactured a felony, but he knew that it would be a mistake. The key to getting Leo's cooperation was to appeal to his soft side.

It had never been Chris's intention to recruit Leo along with Vanessa. When his men fished Leo and Vanessa out of the river, their plan was to leave Leo on the bank to be found later. However, just as they were carrying Vanessa away, Leo woke up and saw what was going on. They had no choice but to bring him along. The more Chris thought about it, the more he realized that Leo could be very valuable to him. After all, part of Vanessa's success as a con artist had been her partnership with her son.

Chris rarely felt guilty for the way he manipulated others. He always convinced himself it was for the greater good. What purpose was served by Vanessa rotting away in a jail cell, when she could be seducing much-needed secrets out of men like Victor Lazare? The U.S. government had been trying to nail this man for years. Lazare supplied arms to certain places in Africa where so-called soldiers used them to terrorize villages. Lazare didn't care that his weapons were used to rape women and murder children. He only cared about money and his precious Renee. That was why Leo and Vanessa had been perfect for this assignment.

As much as he had justified to himself that he was doing the right thing in convincing Leo to fake his death, it had been very hard to witness the outcome of his actions on a personal level. There were many people in Pine Valley that loved Leo, and were crushed by his death. Even after Chris left town, he had to keep track of everything that happened and how it would affect Leo. There were many occasions when Chris had to talk him out of heading home, like the time Michael Cambias's preliminary hearing was televised to the world, and Leo watched Bianca's testimony. Chris knew that Leo hated him with a passion, but he hated himself even more for letting Chris manipulate him. And the more Chris took advantage of Leo's vulnerabilities, the more unclean he felt. He overcompensated by being even more of an asshole.

Chris found himself by the beach near Slater's casino. He parked and walked along the beach, ignoring the die-hard sun worshippers soaking up the last of the late afternoon rays. It was time to start thinking about retiring. It was becoming harder and harder to do what needed to be done in his line of work. He was losing his edge, he was becoming too personally involved in his assignments. It was why he kept fucking up. There was no room for mistakes in this business. He needed to clean up the messes that he'd made thus far, and after that he would pack it in.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Zach and Kendall arrived at the hospital for the second time that day. Kendall asked at the main lobby if Josh Madden was on duty. She was told that he was not working today. A passing nurse informed her that Josh came in not too long ago as a patient, and suggested she try the ER. Exchanging bewildered glances, Zach and Kendall went off in search of Josh.

After asking at the nurse's station in the ER, Kendall finally found Josh's room and knocked on the door. He opened it, raising his eyebrows when he saw who it was. He invited Kendall and Zach to enter, then resumed buttoning his shirt. Kendall frowned. "Are you okay? I came here expecting you to be in doctor mode and was told that you're a patient."

Josh scowled. "I'm fine. I just wanted to be examined for any possible frostbite. I was trapped in a meat locker for quite a while."

Kendall put her hand on his arm. "Oh my God! How did that happen?"

Josh shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it. You came to see me, Kendall. Are you feeling alright?"

She squeezed his arm tightly. "No, Josh, I'm not. I guess you haven't heard yet. Your father kidnapped Spike. And he may have Erica, too."

Josh stared at her. He pulled his arm away from her. "I don't believe this. Not you, too. I thought you cared about my father! You trusted him more than anyone else. In what twisted universe would my father take a baby from his mother?"

Zach laughed harshly. "You're joking, right? Dixie has been looking for her daughter for four years now. Greg Madden has refused to give her any information on Kate's whereabouts."

Josh jabbed a finger at Zach. "That's different. Dixie gave Kate up of her own free will. Her actions then and now show her to be a complete flake, and I agree with my father's resolve to make sure Kate stays in the happy and loving home that she's known all her life."

Zach clenched his fists, itching to wipe the smug look off Josh's face. This was his brother-in-law? He kept his cool, knowing that a right hook wasn't going to make Josh more cooperative.

Sensing that Zach was striving for control, Kendall stepped between them. "Listen to me, Josh. Spike was taken from the neonatal unit. The nurse on duty had to go answer an emergency call. She left Spike with _your father_. When the next nurse came on duty, they were both gone. Greg Madden took my son. And now my mother is missing, too. Please Josh, _please_ help me find them."

Josh's jaw tightened. "I'll tell you what happened. Erica came to visit her grandson and found him here with my father. I'm sure she freaked out because she hates him. He gave her the baby and then left. Erica is probably off with Spike somewhere, right now."

Kendall shook her head. "My mother was supposed to fly to New York for a very important interview. She missed the flight, Josh. Your father tried to kidnap her before, I think he really did it this time."

Josh circled around them and put his hand on the doorknob. "My father did not kidnap Erica or Spike. That's insane! I like you a lot, Kendall, but I've had it up to here with everyone in my face telling me horror stories about my father. He was a good man, a brilliant doctor, and a wonderful father."

Josh opened the door and almost ran smack into Jeff Martin. Jeff gave him a concerned look. "Josh! I was worried about you. I heard you were being treated for frostbite."

Josh held up his hand. "I'm fine. I don't want to talk about it. I just want to get out of here." He headed down a hallway.

Kendall tried to go after him. "Dammit Josh, you get back here!"

Zach held her back. "You're not going to get any answers out of him right now."

Jeff folded his arms. "My father told me about Madden taking your baby. And the possibility that he might have Erica, as well. I'm terribly sorry, Kendall. This is beyond awful."

Tears streamed down her face. "I was hoping Josh would tell me something about where Greg might have taken them. But he's got his father on this pedestal, and nothing anybody can say will convince him otherwise."

Zach took note of the thoughtful look in Jeff's eyes. _He knows_. Jeff cleared his throat. "I'm one of the few people in this town that Josh trusts. I'll talk with him, try to get him to listen to reason."

Kendall frowned. "What do you think you can possibly say to him that hasn't already been tried?"

Jeff rubbed his chin. "I'll just point out to him that if he helps us find Greg, it will clear his father's name. If Madden doesn't have them, then the police can move on to other suspects. I'm sure that will work." He gave each of them a nod and walked off.

Zach knew that he wasn't being entirely truthful. Drastic times call for drastic measures. Josh would soon learn the truth about his real parents. It was the only thing that was going to shock him into cooperating, and Jeff knew it He put his arm around Kendall. "Let's go back to the mansion. Maybe someone there has gotten some new information."

Kendall nodded wearily. They started to walk out of the examining room, when Kendall halted abruptly. She swayed and would have dropped to the floor if Zach hadn't caught her. He swung her up in his arms and carried her over to the examining table. "Kendall, what's wrong?"

She pressed the heels of her hands against her forehead. "My eyesight is blurry and I feel dizzy." She squeezed her eyes shut. "This has happened a few times since I got out of the hospital, but it's never been this bad."

Zach made her lay down, terrified by how pale she looked. He strode over to the door and barked at a nurse to come into the room. He explained to her what just happened, and that Kendall woke up from a coma a month ago. The nurse went over to a desk phone and dialed the extension to Kendall's neurologist. She spoke with him for awhile, then hung up. "He's on his way down."

About ten minutes later, the neurologist came in and examined Kendall. "Your recovery after waking up from your coma was amazingly quick. You are doing unusually well for someone with a traumatic brain injury. True, you've had a few dizzy spells, but you happen to be under an enormous amount of stress. Judging by newspaper accounts alone, you've attended two court appearances, formed a new business venture, and let's not forget your child was fighting for his life in the neonatal unit. I'm not surprised that this most recent terrible development would bring on more severe symptoms." The doctor closed the chart and regarded Kendall kindly. "It would be stupid of me to tell you to lower your current stress level – your mother and child are missing. I _can_ recommend to you that you get as much rest and nourishment as possible. I can't keep you from worrying, but I can tell you to please look after yourself." He gave Zach a look that indicated he expected her husband to enforce the mandate. Zach nodded in agreement.

Erica managed, while holding Spike, to open a bottle of water. As she quenched her thirst, she thought about Ryan, and how devastated he would be if he knew the truth about Spike. What Greg did to her daughter…she paused her sipping for a moment as she tried to quell the nausea. She looked over at Greg. That horrible man inseminated Kendall with his own sperm. He explained to Erica that he'd been in awe of how brilliant Josh turned out, with his Martin /Kane genes. He fantasized about how much more amazing a child would be that had Madden/Kane genes. Greg rambled about his late wife, and his horror upon discovering that she could not bear children. His parents would not hear of him sullying their name by divorcing her, so he had satisfied his desire to procreate in other ways. When he met Erica, he regretted even more his hasty decision to marry his college sweetheart.

It appalled Erica to hear him say all these things. He actually thought it was clever that he had been able to keep a part of her for himself. He also kept bringing up the Martins. She had no idea what was going on there, but she was glad when he finally stopped talking and started making notes in his journal. She looked down at Spike again. Poor, poor Ryan. She didn't even want to think about what it would do to Kendall. Why was it her family's fate to be violated in such evil ways?

Erica started to feel drowsy. She looked at Greg warily when he stood up and approached her. "I think it would be a good idea if you handed me the baby."

Erica shrunk back. "Don't touch him! I don't care if he is your son, you don't deserve to hold him!"

Greg shook his head. "Erica, I must take him so that he isn't harmed when you pass out."

Erica blinked at him, and the room felt like it was starting to spin. "What? Oh my God. What have you done?"

Greg deftly scooped Spike into his arms. "I just put something in your water to help you to sleep. We're going to be landing soon and I want there to be a smooth transition from the jet to the car."

Erica wanted to curse him, but her tongue would not cooperate. After a few more moments, she slid quietly into darkness.

Leo stood outside Greenlee's door, trying to work up the courage to knock. He was going to tell her the truth. He was going to tell the world the truth. No more hiding, no more working for Chris. Leo du Pres would be resurrected from the dead.

Leo placed his hand on the door. She would hate him and he would deserve it. She would never forgive the fact that he chose his family over her, and he wouldn't blame her. But she would hate him even more if she found out the truth from someone else. He needed to be the one to tell her.

The door suddenly opened, and Greenlee appeared. She gasped softly, obviously not expecting him to be standing there. He looked down and saw that she had a suitcase. "Greens…"

She made a cutting gesture with her hand. "Don't you dare! I don't know where you found out how to call me that, but the charade is over. Find some other mark. I'm going back to my husband, the father of my child. He's very rich, you know. He could make life pretty damn miserable if you don't leave me the hell alone."

Leo's hand fell to his side. "You're going back to Pine Valley? Back to Ryan?"

Greenlee folded her arms over her huge belly. "I was angry at him for a long time, because he betrayed me. My best friend betrayed me, too. But life's too short and I have a child growing inside me that needs me to be a mature adult that can forgive mistakes. He's probably going to make a lot of them. I know I will. I know I _have_. So I'm going to be a big person and pretend that you never said what you said. I'll pretend like you were just a nice man that I spent an unforgettable evening with when I was feeling very lonely and afraid. Do you think that you could possibly do me a favor and pretend the same thing?"

Leo stared down into her beseeching eyes. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Tell me that you're going back to Ryan because you love him…not just because he's the father of your child."

Greenlee wiped away her tears. "After Leo died, for the longest time I thought I had nothing left. Even when I found out who my real father was, I still felt empty. Ryan made me feel whole again. I was willing to do anything for him. I shudder at the things I _did_ do for him, to try and win his love in return. I should never have walked away…we belong together. We were initially bonded by our love for Leo…" Her voice trailed off. She cleared her throat. "Ryan and I will work things out. I'll work things out with Kendall. We'll get past the hurt for the sake of our children. We'll be happier than ever." She tried to smile, but it faltered. In a shaky whisper, she said, "I need for it to work. I can't deal with any more complications in my life. Please just say goodbye and walk away."

Leo glanced up at the ceiling, unable to look any more at the weariness in her delicate little face. No more complications. He wanted to tell her the truth, but how selfish would that be? Leo took a deep breath, his expression wistful. "Wow, you must be pretty tired. The other two times you told me to get lost were much more impressive." He wanted to touch her. As his fingers twitched, he reminded himself that he didn't deserve to touch her. He stepped back. "I don't want you to miss your flight."

She regarded him solemnly. "It's my grandfather's jet. It won't take off until I've boarded." She was silent for a moment longer, then moved past him to the elevator. Because it was very early in the morning, the elevator was still there from when Leo exited it. Greenlee got on and the doors closed behind her.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Chris parked his car down the road from the Montgomery mansion. It had been dark now for several hours. He wondered if anyone inside the house was asleep. He doubted it. More than 15 hours had passed since Erica and Spike were kidnapped by Madden. They could be almost anywhere in the world. The jet parked at the Pine Valley airport had not been touched. Chris knew Madden probably had another one, and it was only a matter of time before his people peeled back the layers of all his holding companies and aliases to discover where such an asset might be kept. Chris sighed. The waiting was always the hardest part of the job. He did an excellent job of hand-picking people to delegate assignments to, but once a task was out of his direct control he felt itchy all over.

It was yet another reason to retire. The more he accomplished in his job, the more responsibility the higher-ups gave him. Less hands-on work, more management. He was nothing more than a fucking administrator at this point. If he left the government, he could set up his own business. In his career he met many individuals and heads of private corporation that would love to make use of his particular talents. In an ideal world, he'd have a couple of partners. Anna Devane was always the first one to come to his mind in such musings. She was an extraordinary agent. Her accomplishments were legendary in the business. It was always rather amusing to him how frustrated the higher-ups had been when he and Anna were both twiddling their thumbs in Pine Valley – she as Chief of Police and he as Erica's lawyer. But that was what love did to a person. Now they were both back in the spy game. Chris heard through the grapevine that she was also pursuing an arms dealer – Lorenzo Alcazar. Yes, she definitely would make an excellent business partner. Too bad that she would probably murder him if she knew the part he played in Leo and Vanessa's "death."

Zach Slater was also someone that he would love to have as a partner. Slater was shrewd, skilled, had the right outlook on life, and he was in the casino business. Casinos were a gold mine of information and networking. The best thing he ever did was facilitate the poker game that resulted in Slater gaining ownership of the Seasons. Unfortunately, given their past interactions, Slater was unlikely to ever consider a partnership with him. It was the consequence of being a manipulative bastard. Chris had no illusions about himself. He'd forced his will on too many people's lives. He didn't give a damn about the feelings of 98 of his pawns – they were all criminals that were destined to live out their days in a jail cell. Zach Slater and Leo du Pres were the glaring exceptions. While they had committed crimes in the past, it wasn't a felonious nature that led Chris to take an interest in them. Rather it was circumstances and their unique gifts.

Zach had been ridiculously easy to recruit. As soon as Chris discovered his true identity and threatened to reveal it, Zach fell right into line. Keeping him in line had been another story. Controlling Zach Slater had been like holding on to a rattlesnake. Chris was always saddened by the fact that a man he would have liked for a friend would instead be an enemy for life. Not that friendship had ever benefited him. The bond he formed with Jackson Montgomery had resulted in the worst betrayal of his life. Anna Devane could have been a good friend, but he'd been commanded by his superiors to keep her at arms length. She was far too shrewd not to figure out sooner or later that he wasn't really FBI. And then there was his friendship with his son. He was the one who fucked that one up. Friendships just weren't in the cards for him, so it was just as well that Zach hated him.

Chris pulled out his cell phone and dialed Zach's number. There may be enmity between them, but they had a shared goal and they needed to work together.

Greenlee paid the driver and then turned to the porter. She instructed him about where her grandfather's jet was located, and he headed off in that direction with her suitcase. Greenlee took out her cell phone and stared at it a moment. She wasn't quite ready to talk to her father yet. Maybe when she was halfway to Pine Valley. Or perhaps after she landed. Maybe she'd just show up on his doorstep. One thing was for sure, if she wasn't ready to face Jackson yet, she sure as hell wasn't ready to face Ryan. Taking a deep breath, she tucked her cell away in her clutch purse, and walked towards where the jet was parked.

Maybe she'd call David first. He'd tell her exactly what he was thinking, but he would never judge or lecture her. When she did talk to him, she wouldn't tell him about what Max tried to pull. He would be furious and probably fly to Paris to give Max a castration drug.

Lost in thought, when she came around a corner she almost ran into a man pushing a wheelchair. Sighing in disgust, she stepped to the side. The man hesitated, and she looked up at him. To her amazement, she realized that the man was Greg Madden. He was staring at her enlarged abdomen. She recovered from her surprise, anger boiling to the surface. "Dr. Madden! Surprised to see me eight months pregnant? Looks like I'm able to carry a child to term after all." Her voice rose and people started to glance their way.

Madden looked around, a concerned expression on his face. He glanced down at the wheelchair. For the first time Greenlee looked at the person he'd been conveying across the tarmac. It was Erica Kane, and she was fast asleep. Greenlee's mouth dropped open. "Erica? What the…? What are you doing with Erica? Why is she passed out?"

Greg stepped out from behind the wheelchair and approached Greenlee. He grasped her arm and she immediately started to pull away. "Get away from me, you quack!" She stopped struggling when she saw the gun in his hand.

In a slightly elevated voice, Madden proclaimed, "Let's make haste, my dear. The porter is waiting at the car and your mother is anxious to get home."

Numb with shock, Greenlee turned and led the way back to the parking lot. Madden tucked his gun out of sight, and started to push the wheelchair again. Greenlee had no doubt that he was perfectly capable of retrieving the gun if she tried to escape. He would have nothing to lose at that point. Smiling genially, he told her that if she did not cooperate when they reached the car, he would have no qualms about killing the porter and then her. She realized, as they approached the vehicle, that they were in a rather remote part of the parking lot.

When they arrived at the car, Greenlee kept her mouth shut. The porter, a large young fellow who was completely ignorant of the danger, transferred Erica effortlessly to the back seat. It was then that she noticed there was a baby sound asleep in an infant carrier. The porter must have brought the baby ahead so that Madden could tend to Erica himself. Greg tipped the porter, who thanked him genially, then walked away. Greg opened the front passenger door, and pointed the gun at the seat. Greenlee awkwardly climbed in. Madden commanded her to give him her purse, and she reluctantly obeyed. He took out her cell phone and smashed it against the pavement. Then he got into the driver's seat and started the car. As he pulled out of the parking lot, she finally spoke. "Who…whose baby is that?"

Greg smirked. "Why that's the child you made such a fuss about at Thanksgiving. When you staged your dramatic little exit, leaving everyone's lives in an uproar."

Greenlee glanced into the back seat. "So that's Ryan and Kendall's baby?"

Greg tsked. "My dear, if that were Ryan's child he certainly would not be here with us now." He laughed ruefully. "Ryan's child _is_ here, I presume, he's just inside of _you_ at the moment." He shook his head. "And to think I went through so much effort to make sure that man didn't procreate."

Greenlee stared at him, unable to take it all in. "I don't understand. I thought you used what was left of Ryan's sample to inseminate Kendall."

Greg shook his head. "I tossed out Ryan's donations when I found out you had yourself impregnated. Your actions were completely unacceptable and I took measures to rectify it."

Greenlee went very, very hot and then very cold. "Oh my God. You caused my miscarriage, didn't you? It wasn't because of a medical condition. You aborted my baby." The last was said in a whisper.

Madden gripped the steering wheel. "I told you in that first interview that it would be a mistake to bring a child into the world for the purpose of idolizing your dead husband. No child deserves that. I spared him a life of suffering with you as his mother."

Greenlee let out a shriek and started whaling on Greg's arm. The baby, startled by the noise, began to cry. Madden immediately pulled over to the side of the road. With a menacing expression, he pointed the gun in Greenlee's face. "This is precisely what I am talking about. You have no ability whatsoever to control your emotions. How could you possibly expect to raise a mature adult with such behavior as his example?"

Rage coursing through her, Greenlee hissed, "You son of a bitch!"

"Enough theatrics! Now there should be a pacifier in that bag next to the carrier. Find it and give it to Gregory Junior."

Greenlee stared at him, horrified. "Gregory Junior? You inseminated Kendall with _your own sperm_?"

Madden cocked his head towards the back of the car. "The pacifier, Greenlee."

Greenlee unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned sideways over the seat, having a great deal of trouble with her large abdomen. She found the pacifier and placed it in the baby's mouth. She stroked his little cheek, "Shhhh, shhhh. It's okay, sweetie. It's alright. Shhhh." The baby calmed down, his eyes sleepy. Tears rolled down Greenlee's cheeks. Her heart ached for Kendall. She must be going out of her mind right now.

Zach stroked Kendall's hair as they lay in the guest bed of the Montgomery mansion. Kendall refused to sleep at the condo. Spike was supposed to have come home today and spent his first night there. Kendall said she couldn't bring herself to sleep there until Spike was back with her. Not that she would sleep wherever she was. Zach knew that she was too distressed to fall into slumber. He suggested she take a sleeping pill, and she flat out refused. She said that she didn't want to be groggy if there was news about Spike.

They'd had a fight earlier. Kendall wanted to personally question Hazel, and Zach wouldn't let her. He kept urging her to take it easy. Her doctor had been very clear that too much stress could result in a dangerous relapse. Zach was scared to death of her health failing. He had walked a fine line earlier, trying to get her to see reason without angering her too greatly. She agreed not to pursue anything for now, but she was definitely pissed off at him.

Zach's cell phone rang, and Kendall sat bolt-upright in bed. Zach snatched it off the side table before she could get to it. The display screen identified the caller as Ian Wells. Zach looked up at Kendall's hopeful face. "This is…uh…related to the search for Kate. I'll be right back." He got out of bed, grabbing his sweatpants. He knew when he got back he'd be in even deeper shit.

When he got to the hallway he answered the phone. "Hold on a minute." He hopped into his sweatpants and slipped out onto the veranda. "What do you want, Sam?"

"We need to discuss strategies for getting Erica and Spike back."

"You mean you want help in cleaning up the mess you made. I assume that you're lurking around here somewhere?"

"The gazebo out by the lake."

"Lovely place for a tryst. I'll be there soon." Zach hit the end button.

Bianca blearily contemplated her cup of espresso. After Jackson's late night phone call, she hadn't slept a wink. Unfortunately, Miranda _had_ slept well and was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning. She was currently conducting a very lively one-sided conversation with a teddy bear.

Maggie came into the kitchen and put her hand on Bianca's shoulder. "Why don't I take Mimo to the park so you can try to sleep?"

Bianca smiled ruefully. "As if I'm going to be more successful if I go back to bed? I won't be able to close my eyes until my mother is found." Her voice trailed off in a squeak. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "Besides, I don't think I can let Miranda out of my sight right now. Just looking at her makes me feel a little more calm." Maggie nodded and kissed the top of her head. They were both startled when they heard the door buzzer. Bianca frowned. "Did I miss the doorman calling to say we had a visitor?"

Maggie shook her head. "Maybe it's one of our neighbors."

Bianca grimaced. "Or maybe a reporter snuck in somehow."

Maggie squeezed her shoulder. "Let me take care of it. You know how I like to take out the trash."

Bianca chuckled. "You're very good at it."

Maggie checked the peephole, then opened up the front door and narrowed her eyes at the tall, unkempt man standing there. Normally she would show more prudence about opening the door to strangers, but she had a black belt and the desire to take her foul mood out on someone. "You damn well better be a neighbor wanting to borrow a cup of sugar."

He smiled slightly. "Maggie."

Something about the way he said her name sent a frisson of awareness up her spine. She was used to reporters knowing who she was, but usually they addressed her as "Miss Stone" in an obsequious manner. "Who are you?"

He pressed his lips together, as if he didn't know how to continue. There was something about his eyes…

Curious about who was at the front door, Bianca came into the front hall. Maggie and some guy were standing there staring at each other. He looked up at Bianca. Bianca paused, unnerved by the way he regarded her. "Bianca…"

She felt lightheaded. She'd heard her name spoken by that voice too many times not to recognize it instantly. Was it the lack of sleep? Or had she fallen asleep and was dreaming? His name trembled on her lips, but she was unable to speak it aloud.

The stranger smiled tenderly and nodded his head. "It's me, Bianca. It's really me."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Dixie gratefully accepted a cup of coffee from the flight attendant. Across the aisle, Tad sipped his. They were catching the redeye from Minneapolis. They'd visited the adoptive couple and daughter pretending to be researching Madden success stories for a documentary. They managed to obtain a photo of the little girl, and by a sheer stroke of luck Tad was able to swipe a lollipop that the little girl discarded.

Neither of them wanted to spend the night in Minneapolis - not with the upheaval back home. The last time Dixie called Zach, he had no news for her. He did confide in her his fear about Kendall's health. Things just kept getting worse and worse.

Tad glanced over at Dixie. "You know, it seems like a strange coincidence that you get the tip about Kate, and then Madden crawls out from under whatever rock he's been hiding and takes off with Erica and Spike. What do you think, are the two connected?"

The sarcastic inflection in his question irritated her so badly, she had to set her coffee down on the fold-out table to avoid flinging it in his smug face. She concentrated on adding cream and sugar. "What's occupying my mind right now is whether Brianna is our Kate."

Tad's expression sobered. "Speculating is a waste of time. We'll know for sure when the DNA test is finished." He had dropped the lollipop off at an overnight delivery service. It would be shipped to a lab that already contained DNA samples from Tad and Dixie. They'd have their answer soon.

Dixie stirred her coffee. "I didn't really feel a connection, Tad. She was a gorgeous little girl, and she was even the right coloring." She sighed.

Tad narrowed his eyes. "Of course you didn't feel a connection, Dixie. Why would you be bonded with a child you signed over to Madden?"

Dixie stared at him in horror. She took a deep breath, concentrating hard on not letting tears well in her eyes. After a few moments, she pretended like she hadn't heard his comment. "I really hope that the child we saw today was Kate. Because if she isn't, I don't know if we'll ever find Madden again. If he's kidnapped Erica and Spike, he's going to have a hell of a lot of incentive to find someplace remote and secure so that he can stay hidden a long time." She took a sip of her coffee, and winced at the acrid taste. "I just hope that when Zach and Ian find him, they keep him alive."

Tad stared at her. "Zach and _Ian_? Do they know each other, or something?"

Zach stepped into the gazebo and regarded Chris. "What have you done to find my wife's child?"

"I'm doing everything in my power to search for them, and you know that's saying a lot."

Zach's voice was flinty. "It's not enough. They're still out there. They wouldn't _be_ out there if you hadn't messed up."

Chris made a cutting gesture. "If it weren't for me, Madden would be dead right now. Granted, a corpse wouldn't have abducted Erica and Spike. On the other hand, if he had died he would have taken Kate's whereabouts to the grave. Yes, I messed up - but I was trying to do a good thing. Dixie could be bringing Kate home, even as we speak."

Zach shook his head and sat down. "You always like to spin it so that you come out a hero. The truth is that you're nothing but a control freak."

Chris chuckled. "We're two of a kind, aren't we?"

Zach's expression was stony. "Don't compare yourself to me."

"Come off it! We're just alike and you can't stand it. You've always hated me, so it's hard for you to swallow that we _both_ are the type of person that will do whatever it takes, break as many rules as necessary, to get the job done. We're both protective of women, we both have zero trust in anyone else. I could go on and on."

Zach stood up. "Spare me. We have more important things to discuss. Like getting Spike and Erica back."

"Sounds like a party I want to join." Ryan appeared out of the darkness and stepped up into the gazebo behind Chris. "Who's your friend?"

Chris could have kicked himself for not hearing Ryan's approach. He really was getting sloppy. Taking a deep breath, he turned around to face his son.

Ryan stared at him for a long time. He was having trouble computing what he saw. "Chris?" Chris nodded almost imperceptibly. Ryan sat down on one of the gazebo benches. He spoke softly, as if to himself, "All these people that keep getting resurrected, and none of them are Gillian." He looked up at Zach. "What is your involvement with him?"

Zach sat down next to him. "Last night Kendall showed me a picture of Chris with Erica. That was when I realized that I knew him years ago - he went by another name at the time. I had no idea he was alive until he showed up at the hospital earlier today."

Ryan stared at Chris. "I should be furious that you pretended to be dead, but that would make me a hypocrite, wouldn't it?" He stood up and walked over to Chris. He stopped and stood there for a long moment, not taking his eyes off Chris. With a quickness that caught Chris by surprise, Ryan sucker-punched him. Chris fell back against the bench, sitting down hard. "That was for pretending to be my father! You have no idea how relieved I was that I had no biological connection with Patrick…but it was all a lie. A very good lie. If it weren't for that damn journal… Did you know about that, Chris? Erica found your journal and read about all the lies you told. Why did you leave it behind? That's a pretty stupid thing to do. Unless you wanted it to be found…" Ryan narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out what was real and what wasn't. What was truth and what was a fabrication. Chris rubbed his jaw, not saying anything.

Ryan went to the opposite side of the gazebo and sat down again. Zach quietly watching the proceedings. Ryan continued. "Why are you here, Chris? Did you find out Erica was kidnapped and you wanted to join the search?" He narrowed his eyes. "Or were you worried about…your grandson?"

Chris knew that Ryan was fishing for answers about whether he really was his father. "Spike is not my grandson."

Ryan laughed mirthlessly. "That comment could mean so many things. What is it you're trying to tell me, Chris? That you really aren't my father? That leaving the journal was just a stupid mistake? Or are you trying to tell me that you know about donor #1?"

A muscle ticked in Chris's jaw. This was not a confrontation that he ever anticipated having, and he wasn't really sure what he should reveal. "I know all about Madden. What he did to Erica. What he did to Kendall."

Zach broke in. "You don't know for sure what he did to Kendall. You're just speculating, same as us. What's relevant right now is what _you_ did to Madden. Tell Ryan why you're responsible for his son's disappearance, or I will."

Kendall tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The frightening images of her son in danger would not leave her head. Even when she was able to convince herself that Erica was keeping Spike safe, she still imagined him missing his mother. Despite the circumstances of his birth and the fact that he spent a couple of weeks in an incubator, she and Spike had bonded. He knew she was his mommy, and no one else was going to do. Kendall kept hearing him crying in her mind. Tears flooded her eyes again and she felt utterly alone. "Come back soon, Zach. I need you."

She was just starting to drift off when she heard voices in the hallway. Jackson was telling someone to leave and come back later. It sounded like Josh. She threw back the covers and sprang from the bed. Opening the door, she rushed out. "Josh? Do you have news about your father?" She clutched at Josh's arm. "Are you here to give us information about where he might be?"

Kendall wasn't able to interpret the expression on his face. He looked…shell-shocked. "Kendall, I don't have any information about my…about Greg Madden that will help you in the search for your baby. I promise I'll try to think of something. What I need from you right now is the truth. Did you know about me and Erica? Did you know about what really happened when Greg was her doctor all those years ago?"

Kendall frowned. She didn't really want to deal with this right now, she had too much on her mind. "Josh, I don't know squat. I know my mother's hiding something big where your father is concerned, but that's it."

Josh's expression softened ever so slightly. "Well, at least I wasn't the only one in the dark. Look, we need to talk, Kendall. I know you're going through a lot right now, but this is big. Huge."

Kendall sighed. "Well, I guess whatever it is, it will take my mind off things for awhile. Let's go sit in the living room."

Erica slowly awoke and became aware that she was no longer in the jet. She was in the back seat of a car. She looked over and saw Spike asleep in a car seat. Glancing up, she saw that Greg was driving the car. Briefly she considered attacking him from behind, but he was going pretty fast. It would be inopportune if she managed to subdue him, only for the car to swerve into a tree.

It registered in her foggy brain that there was someone sitting in the passenger seat. The person's head barely peeped up over the front seat's head rest. Greg had an accomplice? Spike began to fuss, and the person turned their head to check on him. Erica gasped. "Greenlee?"

Greenlee's head whipped around. Her expression was grim. "You're finally awake." Greg glanced back at her briefly, but said nothing.

Erica stared at her agog. "What in heaven's name are you doing with this freak? After everything that he's done to you and to Kendall? Is this more revenge because you think she betrayed you? Or did you know all along about his sick plan to impregnate my daughter?"

Greenlee rolled her eyes. "Would you put a cork in it? Of course you would think the worst of me if it casts your precious daughter in a better light. Even when I couldn't stand Kendall, I would never have participated in something so vile. I was just as fooled by his oily charm as she was."

Greg cleared his throat. "I would appreciate it if you wouldn't disparage me while I'm present."

Greenlee looked at him and curled her lip. "As if you've even remotely earned a shred of respect from either of us, you disgusting maniac." She turned back to Erica. "I was at the airport, about to board a jet to Pine Valley when I ran into _him_ pushing you in a wheelchair. He pulled a gun on me, and now here I am."

Erica narrowed her eyes. "Pine Valley? Things were finally starting to settle down, Greenlee. Why would you come back and stir up more trouble?"

Greenlee sighed in disgust. "I wasn't coming back to cause more problems for Kendall, if that's what you mean. Believe it or not, I want to make amends with her. I know she's been going through a lot."

"Yes she has been, and most of it is your fault. Look, maybe you weren't planning to make waves with your return, but it would have happened nonetheless. I was so optimistic about…" She broke off.

Greenlee cocked her head. "About what, Erica? What schemes would I have disrupted with my arrival? A possible reunion for Kendall and Ryan? I'm sure they've made a cozy little picture, the two of them with their adorable baby. Never mind that his conception wasn't based on a union between two people who love each other deeply, but instead was the product of Doctor Demento over here. I was long gone, and it was only a matter of time before Zach looked like an outsider. What a sweet, sweet dream that was so close to becoming reality," she sneered.

Madden bellowed, "Enough! I will hear no more about Ryan Lavery. He's genetic garbage - the product of an abuser and an alcoholic. He should never have procreated. A man like that doesn't deserve to father a child."

Erica leaned forward. "Because of you, he never will! You destroyed his last chance when you destroyed those samples."

Greg laughed mirthlessly. "Oh, if only that were true. I take it you haven't noticed Greenlee's abdomen from back there. Within the next couple of weeks she's due to give birth. I can only assume it's Lavery's spawn…God help us all."

Erica leaned forward even further and saw that Greenlee was indeed pregnant. Greenlee hissed at Madden, "You're the one that's garbage."

Erica slumped back against the seat. "Well, there goes any chance that Kendall had to win Ryan back."

Greenlee glared at her. "Are you delusional? You think Madden's driving the car towards Pine Valley and it's only a matter of hours before I'm back in Ryan's arms? We've been _kidnapped_. I don't know what he has planned for us, but I bet it involves us never, ever seeing our families again. Look on the bright side, Erica. I'm sure that Ryan and Kendall will bond over the search for their missing son. They'll eventually get back together and live happily ever after. Or at least as happy as two people can be who've had their _child torn from them_!" She directed the last few words at Greg.

Erica closed her eyes and pressed her fingers to her temples. Greenlee was right, they were in dire straits. Erica was terrified over what would happen next, and not wanting to deal with it she had chosen to focus her rage on Greenlee. She opened her eyes again and saw that Greenlee was struggling not to cry. She was probably out of her mind with worry over what Madden would do once she gave birth. Well, Erica would see to it that she had no need to fear for her child. She would find a way to get them out of this mess, long before her baby decided to make it's appearance.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Zach strolled along the path from the gazebo to the veranda. Chris hadn't wanted him to leave, but he knew that Ryan needed answers. It would probably be awhile before they got back around to what they'd do next about the kidnapping, so Zach didn't see the point in hanging around during a private conversation.

He stepped onto the veranda and approached the French doors that led into the living room. He reached for the levered handles, but paused when he saw that Kendall and Josh were sitting on the living room sofa. They were deep in discussion. Kendall looked bewildered, Josh was intense. He was telling her the truth about Madden and Erica. Zach stifled the urge to go inside and make sure that Josh didn't upset her too much. Their body language, the way Josh's hand rested on her arm and she tilted her head towards him as he talked, indicated that their discussion wasn't acrimonious. Like with Ryan and Chris, Zach knew that he would be intruding on a private matter.

Zach turned and made his way around the side of the house, intending to come in the front door. As he was passing another set of French doors that led to the sunroom off the kitchen, he saw that they were standing open. The sunroom was dark, so he went to investigate. Stepping across the threshold, he paused, listening. He heard a chuckle in the gloom. "My dear, you can relax, there are no intruders. Just an old woman with a desire to feel the lovely night breeze."

Zach continued into the room. "Myrtle, why are you sitting in the dark?" Now adjusted to the interior darkness, he sat next to her on the settee.

She patted his hand. "My old eyes don't appreciate the glare from the lamp."

He put his hand over hers and squeezed. "It's late; you should be in bed resting. Why don't you let me take you home?"

"Pish! I'm quite accustomed to being up at all hours of the night. You forget that most of my boarders are young people. Besides, you know as well as I do that none of us are going to get a lick of sleep until Erica and Spike are found."

Zach sighed. "True enough, though I'd like to slip Kendall a mickey so she'd get some rest. I'm worried about her, Myrtle."

"Oh darlin, I know you are. But you need to understand something. Kendall has always been a fighter. Now that she's a mother, her will to live is even stronger. She's got to look out for her boy, and there's no way she's going to leave this earth until she knows he's safe. Kendall knows herself and knows her body. If she's doing too much, she'll back off."

Zach absorbed her words. "You're absolutely right, Myrtle. I guess I'm still too shaken from her last brush with death – I can't handle the possibility that it could happen again."

Myrtle nodded. "This awful crisis has made everyone feel out of control. That horrible man robbed us of our security. I understand that you're overcompensating. Just remember how Kendall reacts when people try to run her life."

Zach chuckled. "I have a feeling I'm going to be reminded on a regular basis."

Greenlee looked around the entrance hall of the chateau. It was exquisite. Just the type of retreat that she dreamed about owning, but even she couldn't afford a home this opulent. How ironic that the getaway of her dreams was instead going to be a prison. The chateau was remote. Very remote. Even if she were able to escape the house, Madden would discover she was gone and fetch her before she came within a mile of the nearest neighbor.

Greg had pointed out the stables on their way up the main drive to the chateau, noting that he housed the finest thoroughbreds in the province and knew every inch of the countryside. Greenlee had known that he wasn't just boasting – he was warning her and Erica that escaping on foot would be a waste of time.

Shortly after parking, a severe-looking woman met them at the car and took custody of Spike. As she was walking briskly away with him, Greg held onto a very furious Erica. He told her that if she didn't settle down, he would make sure her visits to her grandson were few and far between. She immediately stilled. Greenlee's heart went out to Erica. It was clear that Greg meant to use Spike to manipulate her.

Erica rested her hand on the banister of the sweeping staircase. She cocked her head at Greg. "This chateau is very large. It must require a number of people to keep it running."

Greg smirked at her. "I keep a small core staff that is efficient and extremely dedicated to me. They understand me and my work. You won't be able to convince them that I am anything other than a brilliant philanthropist that deserves their utmost loyalty." He looked at Greenlee. "You remember Hazel, don't you?"

She did indeed. If his servants here were anything like Hazel, she and Erica didn't stand a chance of encouraging mutiny. "Let's put your loyal subjects to the test, shall we? I'm tired, hungry and I have to go to the bathroom. Not in that order."

Greg's smile was frozen for a second or two, but then he laughed heartily. "I do so love pregnant women. Never a dull moment. Not to worry. I'll take you to your room myself."

He turned towards the stairs and Greenlee muttered, "Condescending _ass_." She and Erica exchanged glances. The likelihood of them escaping was getting more and more remote. Their only hope would be the people looking for Erica and Spike. Nobody was searching for _her_. She had burned too many bridges, including her most recent rejection of Max. He's probably moved on to another gullible rich girl by now.

How apropos that she had been so inexorably drawn to yet another con man. He'd almost succeeded in pulling the ultimate con. He should have taken a few lessons from Di Kirby. It was ironic that after all that drama with Di, the real Dixie had come back from the dead after all. Greenlee tried not to think about the fact that, like Dixie, Leo's body had never been found. If he was truly alive, he would have come back to her. Greenlee knew that David had to be hurting right now. He loved Dixie, and she had chosen to stay away. Tad must be devastated, too. Greenlee knew how they felt. Ryan had betrayed her in the worst possible way by deliberately putting her through all that agony.

The newspaper accounts of Dixie's resurrection didn't include any information about why she had pretended to be dead for four years. She didn't give amnesia as the reason, like with Anna Devane and Maria Santos. Greenlee remembered initially thinking that was the reason Ryan had stayed away for so long. The truth had been much uglier. At least in her case, Ryan was only gone for a few months before he couldn't stand it and came back to her. Dixie had been gone for more than _four years_. Leo's been gone four years. If he were to pop up now, with no loss of memory as an excuse for his absence, she didn't know if she could take it.

Greg opened a door and swept his hand towards the interior. "Greenlee's room. Fortunately all my guest rooms are kept in tip top shape in case of unexpected visitors." Greenlee wordlessly went into the room and sat down on the bed. She turned her back to the door and lay down on her side.

"I'll show you your room now, Erica."

"No. Later. I want to speak with Greenlee alone." There was a pause, and then Erica's voice turned steely. "You may leave us, now." Another pause. Greenlee heard footsteps receding, then the door closed. Erica came into her line of vision, and sat down on the bed next to her.

Greenlee didn't want to discuss their situation. Her brain latched onto a neutral topic. "I read online about Dixie being alive and back in Pine Valley. Do you know why she came back to town after being away so long?"

Erica was incredulous. "You're thinking about town gossip at a time like this?" Greenlee shrugged. It would take too long to explain about Max and how her mind had wandered from him to Dixie. Erica crossed her legs. "It's funny you should mention her. Dixie's disappearance and her return are both connected with Dr. Madden."

Greenlee sat up, startled by her words. Erica told her all that she knew about Madden putting Kate up for adoption, and Dixie's subsequent search for her. Greenlee listened in horror. When Erica was finished, Greenlee put her hands on her abdomen. If he would do that to Dixie, it didn't take a stretch of the imagination to figure that he would do the same to her. She was more afraid at that moment than she had ever been in her life. She'd already lost Leo and Ryan. She couldn't lose her child, as well.

Kendall rubbed her forehead, trying to take it all in. The man sitting next to her was her brother. She'd grown up as an only child, never knowing what it was like to have brothers and sisters - and now here she was with surprise sibling number _three_. She wondered briefly if Josh would leave her too, go off to Paris or get thrown in jail. He _was_ almost put in the slammer for poisoning Erica. Such random thoughts flitted through her head. She wondered how much more of these shocks to the system she could take before she shut down mentally, a la Lily.

Zach entered the living room. Kendall jumped up and ran over to him, circling her arms around his waist. "Zach! Josh just told me some crazy news. Not about where Madden is, but what he did to my mother a long time ago."

Zach rubbed her back. "I know, Kendall. I know that Josh is your brother."

She pulled back and stared at him in amazement. "What? How could you possibly know?"

Zach guided her back to the couch and they sat next to Josh. "Remember when Dixie and I went back to the island and found Madden's secret file room? One of the items it contained was a videotape." He looked at Josh. "Madden filmed the procedure. He documented everything he did. We saw Erica's face."

Kendall gaped. "Why didn't you _tell_ me or Josh? He's furious that our mother has known the truth for months and didn't tell us."

Zach took her hand in his and raised it to his lips. "If you had seen that tape, you'd understand. When the camera began rolling, Erica was already sedated. She must have been nervous when she was put under, but at that point she looked peaceful. Vulnerable. She'd put her trust in Dr. Madden. The expression on his face as he…" Zach paused, taking a deep breath. "He was so smug, so full of his own brilliance and cunning. It made me sick to watch him violate her body, violate her trust. I can't even imagine what goes on in Erica's head when she thinks about it. I figured if she was keeping it a secret, it was because she wasn't ready to deal with it yet. It certainly wasn't my place to force her to." He looked over at Josh. "I'm sure that sooner or later she would have told you the truth."

A muscle ticked in Josh's jaw. He looked at Kendall. "I should probably go back to my place and look through some of my things. Maybe something will jump out at me about where my…where Greg would have taken them. _If_ he took them. I'm still not absolutely sure."

Kendall put her hand on his arm. "Thank you."

Josh turned to Zach. "What did you do with the video tape?"

Zach sighed. "We brought it back with us, but it was stolen. Everything we took from that vault disappeared the night Madden disappeared."

Josh raised one eyebrow. "Including the records about donor #1? Or was that Jamie and Julia's idea of a sick joke?"

Kendall frowned in confusion, then raised her eyebrows at the stony look Zach gave Josh. "Someone want to fill me in, here? Donor #1?"

Zach remained silent. Josh turned to Kendall. "According to Jamie, there were records in that vault that indicated my…that _Greg_ wasn't impregnating surrogates with anonymous sperm donors. There was only one donor for all of them, and that donor was himself."

Kendall wanted to vomit. "That's disgusting. All those poor women! Zach, is what he's saying true?"

Zach closed his eyes and sighed, then opened them and faced Kendall. "According to the records, there was only one donor for every surrogacy. It didn't name Madden specifically as the donor, but it's reasonable to suppose that he was the one."

Kendall shook her head. "Okay, that's pretty sick and twisted. But why were you so reluctant to tell me? Did you think I would go knocking on a bunch of doors and say, 'Hey, remember that baby Dr. Madden helped you create…'?" Kendall trailed off. An ugly, ugly possibility occurred to her. She looked up at Josh, and she could see that the thought had just occurred to him too. She started to feel dizzy. "Oh God, Zach. Oh God!" She started to sway and her eyes slid back in her head.

Zach gripped her shoulders, gathering her to him. "Dammit Josh, couldn't you have kept your mouth shut?"

Josh bent over Kendall to assess her condition. "Jesus, I had no idea. The thought never entered my head until just now. Kendall?"

She groaned. "I need to lie back."

Zach gently rested her against the pillows of the couch and Josh checked her vitals. "She was examined by her neurologist earlier today. She's been having stress-related symptoms that he said could lead to a relapse if she isn't careful."

"Shit! I forgot about the head injury. She shouldn't be dealing with all this while she's still trying to recover."

"No kidding!" Zach barked.

"I'm fine," she moaned. "I need to know, Zach. No more secrets. Is Madden the father of my baby? Is that why he took Spike?"

Zach stroked her head. "Kendall, I don't know. I don't see any reason why your child wouldn't be Ryan's. That was the plan: Ryan's sperm and Greenlee's egg. _ I_ was the one who messed it up so her egg couldn't be used. His sample was still fine."

She opened her eyes. "Fine, according to Madden. He could have been lying. It all makes sense now. Why _else_ would he have taken Spike?"

"It's been explained already. According to his twisted worldview he thought you and Ryan would be terrible parents. He did everything he could legally to get Spike away from you. When that didn't work, he went to extremes."

Josh tilted his head. "But when you think about it - considering his obsession with Erica, wouldn't he love the idea of knocking up her daughter?"

Zach glowered at him. "Will you shut the _fuck_ up?"

Kendall sat up, taking a deep breath to steady herself. "Ryan needs to know about this."

"Ryan already knows."

Her eyes widened. "_What_? Ryan knows, Josh knows, even Jamie and Hoolia know. Were you going to tell me after you'd gone through everyone in the Pine Valley phone book?"

Zach put his hands on her shoulders. "I didn't want you to go through the agony of thinking you've been violated when I was convinced, still _am_ convinced, that Madden didn't do it. Spike is yours and Ryan's. End of story."

Kendall pushed his hands off her shoulders and stood up. "I know you want to protect me, Zach. It just…it just pisses me off. I need to talk to Ryan."

"Ryan's not in his room."

"Where is he? Is he following a lead without telling me?"

"Not exactly." He sighed.

Kendall put her hands on her hips. "You better tell me where he is, goddammit! Stop protecting me!"

Zach looked over at Josh. Josh shrugged, "I think it'll be worse for her stress levels if you _don't_ tell her. How about I go to the kitchen and get something to drink, and if something happens you can come get me."

Zach put his hand on Josh's arm. "Myrtle is in the sunroom off the kitchen. I'm sure she would want to know about you and Erica. She's a great person to talk to." Josh gave a short nod and then left the room.

Zach sat on the couch, pulling Kendall's arm so she'd sit next to him. She glared at him. "Tell me _everything_."

Zach took a deep breath. "You asked for it. Ryan is, at this very moment, out in the gazebo talking with Chris Stamp who, as it turns out, _didn't_ die two years ago. He's been very much alive and was helping the also presumed dead Dixie try to find Kate. He's the one that rescued Madden from David's prison and then let him escape. Oh, and I think he may really be Ryan's father, after all." He sat back and watched Kendall's reaction.

She stared blankly at him a long while. "I think this would be a good time to get very, very drunk."


	12. Chapter 12

Author's note: I'm having problems showing breaks between scenes - my asterisks and extra spaces keep disappearing. Sorry for any confusion when reading my chapters. If you have any ideas, let me know.

Chapter 12

Lost in thought, Ryan opened the French doors from the veranda. He stopped short when he saw Zach and Kendall on the couch. They were reclining, snuggled together, each holding tumblers that probably contained scotch. They had their eyes closed as if they might be dozing. He inwardly cursed. It seemed like all he ever did lately was intrude on them. Every time he saw them together, it was a painful reminder of how much he'd messed things up. The cosmic joke of it was that even when he wasn't messing up, people were taken from him anyway. He'd lost Gillian. She wasn't going to be resurrected like others have been lately - her heart was put in another person.

One would think that when he found love again he'd hold on and never let go. Nope. He was given three more chances at a lasting love – twice with the same woman, and he'd tanked them all. So just when he'd decided that he was going to give romantic love a pass and concentrate on giving his all to his son…Spike was taken away from him.

Wrapping everything up in a nice puke green bow was his dead not-father showing up to announce that he was actually his not-dead father. Chris had given a somewhat reasonable, if cryptic explanation for his actions, and Ryan had accepted them for the time being because there were more important things to deal with. If nothing else came out of it, Ryan had a much better understanding of how his own actions – faking his death and then showing up again later – must have hurt those who cared about him. There was not much that was more humiliating than to grieve for someone, to have your gut burn with the unfairness of their time on earth cut short as well as your time with them - only to find out later that their time wasn't cut short after all. They were still very much alive, having chosen to bail in the most cowardly way possible. It was the easy way out. Life dealt Chris a bad hand so he spiraled out of control and almost cost his former best friend, Jackson, his life. Ryan spiraled out of contro. His loving wife tried to help him out of it, but he thought he was so far gone that he ran away rather than try to fix it. Dixie made a terrible choice when she was at the lowest point of her life and didn't feel like she could come home and face her demons without trying to undo her decision. But it can't be undone. Even if she and Tad find Kate, the years that had been lost…

Ryan wanted to be angry at Chris for letting Madden get loose, for trying to help Dixie clean up her mess. The truth was that even if Dixie had never met Madden and was happily raising her daughter, Madden still would have come after Erica. He still would have created Spike and then taken him away. His son.

Kendall opened her eyes and saw him standing there. "Ryan."

Zach's flew open as well. "Any updates?"

Ryan stepped into the room and shook his head. "Chris got a phone call that he said was unrelated to the investigation. I told him we'd strategize in the morning and then left."

Kendall sat up. "Did he tell you whether or not he's your father?"

Ryan glanced over at Zach. "You told her?"

Zach smiled ruefully. "She made it clear to me that if I didn't tell her all my secrets, I'd be taking them to the grave."

Kendall nodded. "I've learned quite a lot in the past hour. And not just from Zach. Josh paid me a visit."

Ryan sat in a chair. "Oh man, I think I know what he told you. About him and Erica?"

Kendall stared at him. "You knew?"

Ryan nodded. "Erica told me about it awhile back."

Kendall threw up her hands. "Okay, whatever secret society you people have going, I really want to join. I'll pay the dues, whatever it takes."

Ryan stood up and walked over to the couch. He kissed Kendall on the forehead. "Why don't we all get some sleep so that in the morning we can better focus on finding our son."

Kendall looked up at him. "You never answered my question about Chris."

Ryan sighed. "He is my father. The journal was faked so that he could cut all ties with me. So all the rage I had last year that I thought was genetic was really about me being a giant pain in the ass to the people that loved me. Goodnight." He walked out of the room.

Kendall sighed and leaned against Zach. "He's going to be wrestling with some pretty big demons tonight."

Zach nodded. "Yeah, I know all about those."

"He had the right idea, though. We should go to bed."

Zach gave her an incredulous look. "That's what I've been saying for hours."

She laughed and got up from the sofa. They stopped in the kitchen to check on Josh, and saw that he was still talking to Myrtle. They said goodnight and headed for their guest room.

When they were finally back in bed, Kendall slipped her hand underneath Zach's t-shirt, and began kissing his neck. He put his hand over hers, stopping her progress. Kendall looked up and saw the reluctant expression on his face. She narrowed her eyes. "If you're not going to make love to me because you're afraid I'm going to break, then you might as well get out of bed right now and don't ever plan on getting back in. Capiche?"

Zach's lips twitched. "All things being equal, I think I'd prefer to make love to you."

She rested her hand on his cheek. "Good answer. Here's your reward." She pulled him to her, sighing as his strong arms went around her, providing much needed solace in a world gone mad.

Leo's cell phone blared Chris's ringtone. He jerked awake and took it out of his pocket. Disoriented, he answered it before he remembered that he had planned to ignore Chris and Vanessa. "'lo?"

"Vanessa just called me and told me that you've disappeared and won't answer her calls. She also mentioned that you decided last night that you weren't going to play dead any more. Please tell me you haven't done anything that can't be rectified."

Leo rubbed his face, trying to wake up. "Well, right now I'm in Bianca and Maggie's guest room. They ordered me to take a nap, since I didn't sleep much last night. They pretty much know everything."

"Goddamn it. God_damn_ it! You've really fucked things up." He sighed, and was silent for a long time - never a good sign with Chris. "I can't deal with this right now. There are more important things at stake."

"You wouldn't happen to be in Pine Valley, would you?"

There was another pause. "Yes I am. How did you know?"

"Bianca told me that Erica is missing, as well as Ryan's son. Considering how much Ryan and Erica mean to you, I'd be surprised if you _didn't_ conduct your own investigation. For all the lectures you've given me about not getting personally involved, you do it a hell of a lot yourself. Is there any news?"

Chris sighed again. "No, there isn't. And only a very few people know I'm back, so keep your damn mouth shut. You may want the world to know you're still alive, but I don't have the same desire."

"Well, it's too late where Bianca and Maggie are concerned. They know about you."

"Jesus Christ, you've got a big fucking mouth."

"I'd say I was sorry that I'm making your life miserable, but I promised myself no more lies. Here's some good news, though. Greenlee is on her way back to Ryan, even as we speak."

Chris chewed on that for awhile. "Does she know about you?"

"I told her, but she didn't believe me. She thinks I'm a con man – how's that for irony? Anyway, her jet should be landing in a few hours."

"Finally, there's something in this whole mess that's falling into place. Greenlee and her baby should be a welcome distraction for Ryan."

"I'm sure he'll be glad to see them, but he's still going to worry about his other child."

"Yeah, whatever. In light of what you just told me, I've got to go take care of a few things. I'll deal with you later." Chris disconnected the line.

Leo swung out of the bed and trudged into the kitchen. Bianca and Maggie were at the kitchen table, talking. They looked up when he came in. Bianca stood up and came over to him, slipping her arm around his waist. "You weren't in there very long. You still look like hell."

Leo smiled wearily. "I slept a little, but I got a phone call. It was Chris, wanting to lecture me about my bad behavior. Get this – he's in Pine Valley right now, investigating Erica and Spike's kidnapping."

Bianca urged Leo to sit down. "I'm furious about what he did to you, but at this point I don't care who finds them. Hopefully Chris's contacts will uncover something that can't be found through regular channels." She started to pull out the fixings for sandwiches.

As they ate lunch, they made plans to fly to Pine Valley. Bianca had held off going there at Jack's urgings, but with no progress in the search she wanted to be by Kendall's side.

Leo's cell phone went off again. Chris's ringtone. He ignored it. When it continued to ring, Bianca pointed out to him that Chris might have some news about Erica and Spike. He put down his sandwich and answered the phone. "Leo, I've been talking to some people over at the Pine Valley airport. Greenlee's pilot filed a flight plan, but it was canceled because Greenlee never boarded her jet. I've been trying to get ahold of someone over at Charles De Gaulle, but haven't had any luck. Did she change her mind?"

Leo frowned. "Greenlee changes her mind a lot, but she seemed pretty determined this morning. God, I hope nothing happened to her. I'll see what I can find out on this end." He hung up the phone.

Standing up, he said, "Greenlee never made it to the jet. I've got a really bad feeling, Bianca. I need to go to the airport and see if she's alright."

Bianca stood up. "I'll go with you." She looked at Maggie. "Will you stay here with Miranda?" Maggie nodded.

Leo squeezed her shoulder. "You've got enough on your plate right now; you don't need to add my drama."

Bianca folded her arms. "Greenlee is my cousin. It's my drama, too. I'm going with you."

Greenlee pushed back from the dining table. Despite the sumptuous-looking luncheon that Greg's chef had prepared, neither she nor Erica had eaten a bite. Madden sat at the end of the table, smiling and eating and chatting as if he weren't completely psychotic. She'd had enough. She stood up. "I'm going to my room."

Greg expelled a longsuffering sigh and also stood. "Let me escort you."

"I'm perfectly capable of making it there myself! You certainly don't have to worry about me escaping or getting into mischief. You've covered all your bases. You're very thorough, Dr. Madden. You're a fucking genius. It's pretty amazing when you think about it. Why the hell couldn't you have used your talents to discover a cure for cancer or bring about world peace? Why do you waste that brilliant brain of yours on victimizing women and children? I don't get it. Please tell me!" Her voice got louder and shriller with each sentence."

Greg threw his napkin down. "That's enough out of you! All that negativity will affect the baby."

"I will say whatever I goddamn want, it's my baby! Mine, Dr. Madden! You didn't have a damn thing to do with creating him. You…." Her voice broke off as a sharp pain knifed through her.

Her face must have reflected her agony, because Erica leapt to her feet and rushed over. Madden advanced, and Erica hissed at him to back off. "Greenlee, are you okay? Is everything alright, honey?"

Greenlee clutched at her stomach, fear engulfing her. "I'm fine. I'm perfectly fine."

Madden shouldered his way past Erica. "Did you just have a contraction? Describe it to me."

Greenlee backed up. "No! No contractions. I'm not in labor. I'm not going to have this baby here." She grimaced as another wave of pain rolled through her body. Then she felt wetness on her legs. "Oh God, no. No!" It wasn't a false alarm this time. Her water just broke.

Kendall picked at her muffin, having no appetite despite the fact that Myrtle had just pulled them from oven. Zach didn't look any more enthusiastic about his, even though he usually wolfed down whatever she baked him. In fact, the whole atmosphere around the Montgomery breakfast table was damned depressing. Her cell phone rang, and she quickly checked the display. Binks! She stood up. "It's Bianca." She went down the hallway to the guest room and closed the door so she could have some privacy. "Oh Binks, there's still no news about Mother or Spike. Everyone here is driving me crazy, especially Zach. He won't let me do a damn thing because he's obsessing about my health."

"Kendall, I know that things are pretty bad right now, just try to hang in there. Listen, I've got some news that's both upsetting and…well…promising."

Kendall frowned. "This should be interesting. Spill."

"Greenlee has been in Paris the past few months – I didn't know about it until today. Apparently she was planning to fly back to Pine Valley this morning, but she never made it. I'm at the private hangar where her grandfather's jet is parked. According to the people here, she arrived early this morning, and the porter took her suitcase to the jet. He never saw her again, and neither did the pilot. The limousine service that dropped her off didn't leave with her, either."

Kendall sat down on the bed. "I don't understand, she's wandering around the airport somewhere?"

"We're trying to find out more, we're questioning everyone we can find. The only other thing we've been able to learn is that a private jet landed not long before Greenlee arrived. It came here from New York. I didn't recognize the name of the company that owns the jet. The pilot left the airport and we can't get ahold of him. They're trying to find the porter who might have helped the passengers with their luggage. Kendall, I've got a bad feeling about this."

Kendall stood up and paced. "What bad feeling? What are you trying to say, Bianca?"

"Kendall, that jet took off from New York only a few hours after Mom went missing. What if it was Madden? What if Greenlee saw him with Mom and Spike and he kidnapped her, too?"

Kendall sat down again. "Whoa, Binks. That's a pretty far-fetched theory. Of all the places in the world, Madden runs off to _Paris_? And he runs into _Greenlee_?"

"Kendall, considering all the freaky coincidental things that have happened in our lives, I'm inclined to think that that is exactly what happened."

Kendall was silent for a long time. "Bianca, if this is true, I need to be there. I'm going to see when the next flight to Paris is scheduled. I'll call you back." Before her sister could respond, she hung up and dialed her travel agent's number. "Barbara, I need to get booked on the next flight to Paris. When is it?"

After much keyboard tapping, Barbara responded, "There are only two flights going out today. One of them is actually in just a couple of hours. I don't think you'll want that one. You'd pretty much have to leave _right now_ to make the flight. The other one leaves at 8 pm. You want me to book that one?"

Kendall bit her lip. She didn't want to wait until 8 pm. On the other hand, she couldn't possibly make the one leaving in two hours. It would take longer than that just to convince Zach to let her go. Unless…unless she didn't tell him she was going. Kendall winced at the idea of taking off without telling Zach what she was doing. But he was being such a pain in the ass, and she desperately needed to find her son. She glanced at the overnight bag that she had brought over from the condo. "Barbara. Book the flight leaving in two hours. I just need to stop off at the condo to get my passport. Bye." She winced again. As soon as she was on the plane, she would call Zach and tell him the truth. He and Ryan could take the flight leaving at eight and join her in Paris.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Tad and Dixie walked into the Montgomery dining room. Ted went over and put his hand on Jackson's shoulder. "Any word on Spike and Erica?" Jackson shook his head. "Where's Kendall?"

Zach spoke up. "She's on the phone with Bianca. Probably making arrangements for Bianca to fly out. How'd it go in Minneapolis?"

Tad looked away, and Dixie answered. "We didn't get anything out of the adoptive couple, but we got a DNA sample. The lab is running a test right now."

Zach stood up and hugged Dixie. "With Madden disappearing again, I hope the little girl is Kate." His cell phone rang and he saw that it was from Chris. "I'll be right back."

He went through the living room and out onto the veranda. "Any news?"

"No, not on Erica and Spike. But there's someone else missing."

Zach sat down on the porch swing, filled with dread. "Who?"

"Greenlee Lavery was planning to fly back to Pine Valley, but she never made it to her jet in Paris. I had someone going to the airport to check it out, but I don't know how much progress he's made – he won't answer my calls."

"_Greenlee_? Why would Madden take her?"

"I don't know for sure if her disappearance is connected to him. It may just be a coincidence."

"Why are you telling _me_ about this? It's not that I don't care about Greenlee, but the news might be more relevant to Ryan."

"I've tried calling him – I keep getting kicked to voice mail."

Zach tapped his finger on his leg. "Have you been keeping tabs on Greenlee since she left Pine Valley?"

"I had no idea where Greenlee was all this time. One of my contacts ran into her a couple of days ago and gave me a heads up."

Zach narrowed his eyes. "You have a contact that knows Greenlee? Well enough to know about her travel plans?"

There was a very short pause. "I didn't say he knows her."

Zach rubbed his forehead. "What aren't you telling me?"

Chris sighed. "Look, are you going to pass the information on to Ryan or not?"

"Why don't you come over right now and tell him yourself? Oh, I forgot – you want to keep your resurrected status a secret. You know, if I go in the dining room and tell Ryan and Jackson and everyone else what happened to Greenlee, it might slip out exactly who gave me that information."

Chris swore softly. "I give you my word that I will tell you everything you want to know about this contact – but _not right now_. You may think I'm an asshole, but you know that I always keep my word. Right now the important thing is telling Ryan what happened to Greenlee."

"And Jackson."

"I think the fewer people…"

"He's her father!"

"Fine! Ryan and Jackson. No one else. And Jackson cannot know where you got the information."

"He's going to ask."

"Make something up. You're good at that. There's something else you may want to let them know. Greenlee is eight month's pregnant."

------------

Madden came over and scooped Greenlee into his arms. She screamed "No! Let me down!"

As she struggled, he bellowed, "Greenlee, if you fall you'll harm the baby."

She stilled and he carried her upstairs to her room. Erica followed, trying to reassure her.

Greg set Greenlee on the bed. "Precisely how far along are you? When was your last examination?"

Greenlee grimaced. "I still have a little over three weeks till my due date. I was at the hospital yesterday because I had some contractions. The doctor told me it was false labor brought about by stress."

"Did he do an ultrasound on the baby?"

She gave him a mutinous look. "I'm not telling you a damn thing."

"Don't be absurd! I need to know the baby's condition - how big he is, whether he's facing the right direction."

Erica grabbed his arm. "What does it matter? We can find all that out when we get to the hospital."

Madden glared at her. "I am an obstetrician. I'm perfectly capable of delivering this baby right here."

Greenlee's eyes widened. "I'm not letting you touch me!"

Erica grabbed his other arm and pulled him to face her. "You can't do this – it's too risky. What if something goes wrong? What if she needs a c-section? Bianca gave birth in a cabin and almost bled to death!"

"As I said before, I am a physician. I am well aware of the risks and perfectly capable of handling them." He turned back to Greenlee. "I would, however, like as many facts going in as possible. Your baby's health depends on it. It's up to you, Greenlee. Since your water has broken, we have 24 hours to get the baby out before his life is endangered."

Greenlee laid her head back, her body wracked with pain and terror. Tears coursed down her cheeks. Erica sat down next to her and started to stroke her hair. She leaned in and whispered in Greenlee's ear. "Let him deliver the baby. Once the two of you have a clean bill of health, we'll make sure that he doesn't get his hands on him. I _promise_ you."

Greenlee gazed up at her and saw the sincerity and determination. She nodded weakly. Swallowing hard, she said, "When the doctor performed the ultrasound, he said that the baby was very big and strong. He commented," her voice hitched, "that if he'd been born yesterday, he would have been just fine."

Greg beamed. "Excellent! Now we just have to make sure that the birth goes smoothly. Erica, you keep Greenlee calm and comfortable. I'm going to go collect everything I'll need for the delivery." He left the room, a spring in his step.

Erica made sure he'd been gone a few minutes, then squeezed Greenlee's hand. "I'll be right back, I need to find something, _anything_, that I can use as a weapon."

-----------------

Zach looked into the guest room to check on Kendall. She wasn't there. Hmmm, she must have gone back to the dining room while he was on the phone. He turned to head down the hallway and almost ran into Dixie. She waved her hand to the guest room, indicating she wanted to talk privately. When Zach closed the door, she asked, "Have you talked to Chris recently?"

He held up his cell phone. "Just a few minutes ago."

She looked relieved. "Oh good. I tried calling him a few times after our plane landed last night, but couldn't get a hold of him. I'll try him again."

Zach put his hand on her shoulder. "Dixie, he's bad news. I know he helped you in your search for Kate, but I think from now on you should stay away from him."

She looked taken aback. "Stay away from him? After everything he's done for me? Zach, he spent an entire year of his life devoting himself to finding my daughter. He used every resource he had to try and track down Madden. He was my rock."

"Stamp has his own ideas of what's right and wrong. If something triggers his outrage, he has no problem going to extremes to deal with it." Dixie raised one eyebrow. "I know, I know, I don't have room to talk – but it makes my point. If someone like _me_ thinks he's extreme, then the man is definitely toxic."

"Zach, he had no reason to help me. I wasn't an assignment. What if his superiors had found out what he was doing with his time and money?"

"Chris has a lot of discretion from the higher ups. I'm sure most of his work nowadays is delegated, so he had time to help you. Don't forget that you knew he was alive – it was in his interest to keep your mouth shut."

Dixie shook her head. "We were both in the same position. If I ratted him out, he could rat me out. Chris went above and beyond, and for that I owe him a great deal. Just as I owe _you_ a great deal. I wouldn't turn my back on either of you."

Zach pressed his palms together in a prayer-like gesture. He was clearly frustrated with her. Dixie tilted her head. "What was your association with him, anyway? Until now, I thought you two were friends."

Zach sighed. "I worked for him on occasion. He always paid me well, but it wasn't voluntary. If I didn't complete the assignments he gave me, then he was going to reveal to the world that I was Alexander Cambias, Junior."

Her eyes widened. "He blackmailed you?"

Zach nodded. "He was a master at finding people's weaknesses and exploiting them. Most of the time he used criminals for his dirty work. Granted, most of his projects were for worthy goals. Many lives have been saved because of what we accomplished. I think in many cases I might have taken the job if he had just asked."

"But he didn't. He tried to control you."

Zach was silent for awhile. "There were some assignments that I would not have done if my identity weren't at stake. Although…he never asked me to do anything I would not have done under _any_ circumstances. He knew just where I would draw the line and never tried to make me go over it."

"Wow. This is a side of him that I never knew about. He sounds downright Machiavellian."

"I'd bet the odds that he's a direct descendant. Look, you have to make your own choices about who you associate with. I just wanted to give you fair warning."

Dixie smiled. "Thank you. So…did Chris have any news about Erica and Spike?"

Zach took a deep breath. "No, but he had some other news that I need to share with a few people."

They both stood up and left the room, making their way back to the dining room. Tad gave a disgusted look when he saw them come in together. Zach nodded to Ryan. "I need to speak with you, Jackson, and Kendall." He looked around. "Where is Kendall? I thought she came back here?"

Ryan shrugged. "I haven't seen her. I thought she was still talking to Bianca."

Zach rubbed his chin. "She needs to hear what I've just found out. Maybe she's somewhere else in the house."

Ryan approached Zach. "She might have gone for a walk or something. If you have news, tell us now. You can always repeat it to her later."

Zach gave a short nod. "It's about Greenlee." His cell phone rang again.

-------------------

Kendall finally made it through security and raced to her gate. A combination of surly security personnel and a group of people that they thought were Middle Eastern (but turned out to be from Brazil) had resulted in chaos. The arguments started just her stuff was going through the X-ray machine, so she couldn't use her phone at all. It was a nightmare.

Kendall barely made it to the gate in time. After she took her seat, she whipped out her cell phone. She had only minutes before the pilot told them to turn off their electronic devices. She dialed Zach's number. He's probably discovered her missing by now. She would have called him much sooner if she could have. She already felt horrible for leaving him like this.

Zach answered on the second ring. "Kendall? Where are you?"

"I'm so, so sorry, Zach. I meant to call you sooner but I got held up. I'm…I'm at the airport. I'm about to take off for Paris."

"Airport? Paris? What the hell is going on?"

"When Bianca called, she had a lead on where Dr. Madden might have gone. It's very possible he's somewhere in France right now."

"You're pursuing a lead and you didn't tell anyone?"

Kendall winced. "I'm telling you now. Zach, I was told that this was the last flight to Paris until eight tonight, and I wanted to be able to catch it. I knew that we wouldn't make it if I told you and we argued about it forever. You're so paranoid about my health, I couldn't take the chance that you would try and make me stay in Pine Valley."

There was a long silence. "Have I been that much of an ogre?" He was deeply hurt.

"Oh, Zach…not an ogre. Just way too protective. Look, I figured you and Ryan could take the later flight and we could meet up in France." Kendall heard the announcement for them to turn off their electronic devices.

Zach sighed deeply. "And what are you going to do until we get there? Go after Madden on your own?"

"I'll be with Bianca and whoever it is she's working with."

"Whoever _who_ is? Explain to me again what this lead is about?"

"Bianca found out somehow that Greenlee was all set to board a private jet to Pine Valley, but never got on. She totally disappeared. Not long before that, a private jet arrived from New York." The flight attendant came over and told Kendall to turn off her cell phone.

Kendall held up her hand. "Apparently the jet left the U.S. only a few hours after Madden would have taken Spike and Erica."

The flight attendant gave her another warning. "Yeah, hold on! Zach, I know it's a crazy idea, but it's more solid than anything else we've got. Bianca and her friend are trying to find the New York jet's pilot. Not the football team. You know what I mean."

"Kendall, I already knew about Greenlee from Chris. He said one of his contacts told him about her intended trip. Is that the guy that's with Bianca?"

Another flight attendant came over, demanding that she turn the cell off. "I don't know his name. I heard him talking in the background. He sounded familiar. I gotta go, they're gonna throw me off the plane if I don't turn this damn thing off. I'll call again once we're in the air. I love you!" She hit the end button, smiling sheepishly at the flight attendants.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Zach flung open the doors to his office and strode into the room. He went behind his desk and began yanking open drawers at random, rifling through the contents. Whenever he couldn't find what he wanted in a particular drawer, he banged it closed and pulled out another. Bits of office accessories flew about in his haste. Cursing, he slammed the last drawer shut and punched in a number on his desk phone. "Where the hell is my passport? I haven't got time for this." He listened to his assistant babble out a reply. He turned to the credenza behind him, fishing out his keys. He unlocked a cabinet and found what he was looking for. "Perfect. Thank you. Go to the cashier and sign out some cash in my name. Enough for a week in Paris. Quickly."

He felt like an idiot. The passport was where he always kept it. He'd been too angry and worried to think straight. When he saw Kendall again, he was going to throttle her. Assuming she was still alive at that point. It was bad enough that she could have a relapse, now there was the possibility that she could be the one to find Madden. Zach's blood chilled at the thought of her falling into his hands.

Zach went over and poured himself a scotch to try and erase the image of Madden using Kendall to breed more and more little Gregericas. She wasn't the only one in danger – Bianca was now in the mix. Madden would be in his own psychotic little heaven to have all the Kane women in his power. Zach's only hope was that this contact of Chris's was well-trained enough to keep things under control. He snorted to himself at the idea of Kendall and Bianca letting anyone control them. Damage control was probably the best that could be hoped for.

He sat back down and dialed Chris's cell phone. "Chris, I need to know the name of that contact in Paris."

"What's going on, Slater? What have you found out?"

"Early this morning, Bianca called Kendall with a theory that Madden might have flown to France and kidnapped Greenlee. Apparently she got the same lead that you did about Greenlee disappearing from the airport. I have a suspicion that her contact is the same as yours, and I want to know who this guy is that knows both Greenlee and Bianca."

"You're jumping to conclusions, Slater – that's pretty sloppy. Why would one of my contacts get in touch with Bianca? Isn't it more likely that she found out from a mutual friend?"

Chris was being cagey. Whenever he didn't want to answer a question, he always posed one of his own as a diversion. "Why won't you tell me his name, Chris?"

Chris exhaled. "Fine, you want to know who it is? Maxwell Prentice."

Zach's fingers tightened on the arm of his chair. The young man he had trained in Rio, the one he told Kendall about. "I see."

"Now that you have that irrelevant piece of information, I want you to tell me everything you know so far. I've tried to get ahold of Max to see what he learned about Greenlee, but he won't take my calls."

"Can't say as I blame him."

"This is a two way street, Zach. If you want me to tell you everything I know, when I know it, you have to share with me."

Zach gave an exasperated sigh. "Kendall is already on her way to Paris. Ryan rerouted the Cambias jet from Chicago. As soon as it arrives, we're heading after them. I talked to Kendall about a half an hour ago. The last she heard from Bianca, she was headed to some hotels near the airport to try and find the pilot that was flying the New York jet that landed shortly before Greenlee disappeared."

"New York jet? Not a football player, I'm guessing."

"A jet belonging to Retcon Industries took off from LaGuardia a couple of hours after Erica disappeared, and landed at Charles De Gaulle shortly before Greenlee disappeared. Bianca and Max are trying to find the pilot."

"I told you that Max was _my_ contact. I don't know who's helping Bianca."

Zach knew he was lying. The fact that Chris was trying to divert him from making a connection between Max, Greenlee and Bianca was very suspicious. "The problem is, even if we find out that Retcon is owned by Madden and get proof that he did take Greenlee, we still have no idea where he might have gone. By the time we all get to France, he could have driven to Eastern Europe. Or he could have hopped another private jet in another airport and flown to Australia. Or he could still be in France, and when Kendall and Bianca catch up to him, he'll hold them captive too."

"We'll get him, Zach…"

"You don't know that! You helped Dixie for a _year_ and you didn't find him. With all your money and all your resources, you didn't find a goddamn thing on Kate! You still may have nothing – he already sent Tad and Dixie on a wild goose chase once, he may have done it again. One final laugh before he took what he really wanted and took off! Jesus Christ, why couldn't you let him die in that coffin? Everyone would be safe if you had just let the miserable bastard DIE!"

"Everyone except Kate."

If there was one thing in the world that Zach hated more than being wrong, it was for Chris to be right. The truth was that he would have done the same thing Chris had done. Without saying another word, he pushed the end button on his cell phone and very carefully laid it on the credenza so he wouldn't fling it across the room. He turned back towards his desk and tried to think of what else he might need to bring to Paris, but he couldn't seem to concentrate with the buzzing sound in his ears. He logged onto his computer and checked his e-mail. Nothing. Not one fucking message. What the fuck were his people doing? How was it possible that one man could be so elusive?

Stifling the urge to shove his entire computer off his desk, he grabbed the passport and cell phone and headed up to his private suite. He had a bag that he always kept packed in case he needed to fly somewhere at a moment's notice. He looked at the bed that he had crashed on more times than he could count. He'd often fantasized about making love to Kendall there. They hadn't been married even two months yet, and half of that time she'd been in a coma. There was so much that he wanted to do with her, so many joyful memories he wanted to make. It seemed like every time they finally found happiness with each other, something shot it all to hell.

Zach went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. He looked in the mirror, his reflection rebuking him. If only he had been able to convince Kendall not to carry Greenlee's child. If only his blackout scheme had worked. Now Kendall was flying across an ocean, alone, to confront a madman. Zach's fist shot out, smashing into the mirror. Shards rained down onto the porcelain sink.

-------

Bianca and Leo walked into a small tavern, hoping that they would have better luck here or in one of the other bars than they had at the hotels. It had taken them awhile to get the cooperation of the FAA, but they now at least had a copy of the pilot's license with a photo. Very grainy, but it was better than nothing. Bianca approached the bartender. With her most charming smile, she showed the paper to him and asked if he had been in there. Narrowing his eyes, he shook his head and turned to address another customer. Bianca tried a few more times with various patrons. She looked at Leo. "You want to give it a try?"

He shrugged. "If your smile is not gonna make these guys budge, I don't have a chance in hell." He looked behind Bianca and tilted his head. "Although I might give it a shot with her. Hellooo, gorgeous!"

Bianca rolled her eyes and turned to get a look at the woman he was ogling. Shockwaves rolled through her when she saw who was a few tables away, talking with a man sitting across from her. Lena Kundera.

Seeing the sudden paleness of her face, Leo asked, "Bianca, do you know her?"

She nodded slowly. "Lena," she squeaked.

Leo looked back at the woman. "Lena? Wait, was she the one that was involved with Michael Cambias? The one the tabloids said you were dating back then?"

Bianca nodded.

They watched as Lena laughed at something the man said, and shook her head. With a shrug, he got up from the table and headed to the bar, taking his drink with him. She stared down at her own glass for a few moments, then looked up. Lena's eyes locked with Bianca's. Her expression mirrored Bianca's own surprise from moments ago.

She stood up and walked towards them. Leo couldn't help but admire her beauty. She was tall and curvy, with exotic features and mesmerizing eyes. He could see why Bianca would have fallen like a ton of bricks. But her expression, as she reached them, wasn't that of the femme fatale that she had been described as in the rags. There was incredible sadness in her gaze. She still loved Bianca, of that he had no doubt. "Bianca," she said in an accented voice that would turn most men into babbling idiots.

"Lena," she responded in a tight voice, pursing her lips together. Leo wanted to put his arm around Bianca, but he knew she was struggling for control. She was already an emotional mess – seeing Lena was the last thing she needed at the moment.

Lena glanced at Leo, then looked back at Bianca. "I knew you lived in Paris… I didn't think I would run into you out here."

Bianca took a deep breath. "You live in Paris, too?"

She shook her head. "I missed my connecting flight. I came here to unwind while I'm waiting for the next one." She glanced again at Leo.

He held out his hand. "I'm Max Prentice, I'm a friend of Bianca's." He didn't give his real name, he wasn't in the mood for explanations. "We're looking for someone that we need to question in a missing persons case." He gently pulled the paper out of Bianca's hand. "He's a pilot, I don't suppose you've seen him?"

Lena took the paper and studied it. Her eyebrows shot up. "Yes…yes, I have. He was in here when I arrived about an hour ago. He propositioned me, then gave me the number of his hotel room." She turned and went back to her table. She picked up a crumpled napkin and came back to them, handing it to Leo. He smoothed it out and saw the name of a hotel and a room number. "We tried this place already, but he could have used another name." He smiled at Lena. "We really appreciate this."

He put his hand on Bianca's shoulder to steer her away, and Lena took a step forward. "Wait! If he isn't a friend of yours, he might not let you into his room. If I go along, I can at least get him to open the door."

Bianca spoke up for the first time in awhile. "You might miss your flight, Lena."

Lena gazed softly at her. "It's the least I can do, Bianca. There are always other flights." Bianca nodded, giving her a small smile.

------------

David waited impatiently by the private elevator, waiting for Slater to make his appearance. David had gone to Dixie's suite, hoping to talk to her, but she wasn't there. When David went to the bar to have a drink, he saw Zach storm into the lobby and take the elevator up to his office. He looked like a man on a mission, and David wanted to know if he had any news about Erica and Spike. Slater was just as good a source of information as any. He wasn't sure why, but he had a feeling that Zach would be more forthcoming than Ryan or Jackson.

The elevator pinged and Slater came out. When he saw David, he pivoted and walked around him. "Oh no you don't! I want to know if you've found Madden yet."

"Get lost."

David followed him as he headed to the parking lot. "Dammit, Erica is a friend of mine."

"Correction - she was your friend, until you helped your daughter pretend her grandchild was dead."

Zach arrived at his Mercedes and hopped in. David slipped into the passenger seat. Zach glowered at him, and he folded his arms. "I'm not leaving until you give me an update. Obviously there's been a development in the case."

David refused to be intimidated by Zach's piercing gaze. What did throw him off was his question. "You and Greenlee are pretty tight, correct?"

David nodded slowly. "She's my sister-in-law."

"That's right, she was married to your brother, Leo. Wasn't Leo also friends with Bianca?"

David had no idea where he was going with this. "Yes, but I'm here to talk about Erica, not my brother."

"What was the exact date that he and your mother were presumed dead?"

David's jaw clenched. "I would have been better off asking Ryan or Jackson for any news. At least they wouldn't use my grief to taunt me."

He opened the car door and started to climb out. Zach grabbed him by the shoulder and yanked him back. "Chris Stamp is alive, David, and he may have had something to do with your brother and mother's disappearance. If you want to hear the latest news, you'll tell me the date they went over the falls."

Slater really had lost his mind. Chris Stamp was alive? David decided to humor him to see where it would lead. "The 17th of October. 2002."

Zach mulled this over for a moment. "What color are their eyes?"

David couldn't help but notice Slater's choice of words. Presumed dead. Disappearance. Are, not were. "Leo's were green, Vanessa's were blue. Are you going to finally tell me what the hell is going on? Is Chris Stamp really alive?" Zach nodded. "I shouldn't be surprised. All these people getting resurrected." David stopped short and narrowed his eyes. "Are you trying to tell me that Leo and Vanessa are alive?"

Zach shook his head. "I can't give you a definitive answer, but I have my suspicions. Look, I have a flight to catch. You can ride along with me to the airport. I don't want to get your hopes up about something that may be a long shot, but if I'm right, you deserve to know the truth."

Sighing deeply, David closed the car door. "Let's roll."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

It didn't taken Zach long to make the connection between Max and Leo. Chris had known this, or else he wouldn't have stalled so long in telling Zach who his contact was. Max had shown up with his "aunt" at Zach's casino four years ago. Based on the date of Leo and Vanessa's disappearance, factoring in their plastic surgery, the timing was right. Chris had been in Pine Valley during that period, and he had been tracking Vanessa's criminal activities. Max was currently showing interest in Greenlee and Bianca – two people that Leo had loved very much. Zach was convinced that Max was Leo. His behavior in Rio fit. Chris must have rescued them, and in the process of recruiting Vanessa he had somehow talked Leo into go along with it.

David shook his head. "No, there's no way Leo would have let Greenlee think he was dead. I've no doubt my mother would jump at the chance to avoid jail. But Leo? Chris wouldn't have had anything on him."

"Chris must have convinced him somehow. Max was very unhappy in Rio. I've never met another man more miserable in his own skin. I realize now that he was longing for Greenlee."

A muscle worked in David's jaw. "Do you realize that if he really is Leo, that this makes twice now that you've helped Greenlee's husband fake his death? Twice that you've played an instrumental part in destroying her world?"

Zach gripped the steering wheel tightly. "I'm well aware of what I've done."

"Not that I believe for a second that this joker is Leo, but if he was as pathetic as you say, why didn't you help him? Why did you sit back and let Chris manipulate him?"

Zach wanted to give him the same excuse that he had given Kendall - that Max had made his choice and Zach's interference would have just made things worse. But he couldn't get the words out of his mouth. All he could see in his mind was Greenlee's devastation after Ryan took off. He remembered Kendall describing to him how hard she had taken Leo's death. He glanced at David, his voice gravelly, "Let's go pick up your passport. You can come to Paris with Ryan and I. Meet Max. If he isn't Leo, you can still help us find out what happened to Greenlee."

-----------

Greenlee sobbed as the contraction wracked her body. She wanted it to be over with, wanted the baby out of her. Adding to her stress was worry over what would happen when she _did_ have the baby. Would Madden take him away before Erica could keep her promise to protect him?

Madden was checking to see how far she had dilated. Her progress was very slow, another point of frustration. She also hated when he examined her. His touch made her skin crawl. Greenlee held more tightly to Erica's hand, taking a tiny measure of satisfaction when La Kane winced at the strength of her grip.

Greg straightened, looking pleased. "You're very close now. I was getting concerned, but you've progressed quite rapidly in the past hour." His smile was obsequious. "We're almost ready."

She glared at him. "I hate you. You're a filthy pig, and I wish I had never set foot in your clinic!"

Madden chuckled. "That's right, Greenlee, energize yourself with your anger. You need all the strength you have to give birth." Greg's beeper went off. He glanced at it. "It's Anastasia, the nanny. I must go attend to Gregory. I'll be back soon."

Erica stepped forward. "Let me go. I want to see my grandson."

He shook his head. "Not yet, Erica. If you behave, you'll see him in due time." He turned and left the room. Erica grabbed a priceless antique figurine sitting on the dresser and threw it against the wall.

Greenlee breathed deeply. "Tell me that one of the pieces is sharp enough to use as a weapon."

Erica stared at the wreckage in disgust, shaking her head. "They're too small. This is insane! There has to be something I can use. I'll do another search. Maybe he'll be gone longer this time." She went over to the bed and stroked Greenlee's hair. "Are you going to be alright?"

Greenlee winced. "I'll be fine, Erica. Just find something…anything. He has to be stopped." Erica nodded and left the room.

--------------

Lena adjusted her blouse to reveal more cleavage. Bianca looked away. Raising one eyebrow, Leo said, "Are you sure you want to do this? We don't know what this guy is capable of."

Bianca turned her gaze back to Lena. "It's not too late to back out. I'm sure Max and I can handle it."

Lena shook her head, and hitched her skirt a little higher. "I know men like him. He will not say a word if another man is in the room. I'm not afraid of him. We'll be taking him on together, and Max will be right outside the door."

Bianca sighed and looked down at herself. "Well, what should I do to look more…alluring?"

Lena gave her a once-over, smiling slightly. "Not a thing," she said softly.

Leo cleared his throat. "We're all set then. Let's get this show on the road."

They took the elevator up to the fifth floor and found the pilot's room. Leo hid around a corner while Lena knocked on the door. After a few moments, the pilot answered. Striking a seductive pose, Lena indicated Bianca. "I decided to take you up on your offer…and I brought a friend. I hope you don't mind."

The pilot stared at the two of them like he just hit the jackpot. Smiling widely, he opened the door wider and motioned them in. As soon as he closed the door, Leo crept out from his hiding spot and went to stand near the door.

Inside the room, Lena sat down on the bed, crossing her legs so that her skirt hitched up even more. Bianca hid a smile and sat also. The pilot, who had introduced himself as Richard Johnson, opened up his miniature refrigerator. He pulled out a bottle of French wine. "I just picked this up after I left the bar, so it isn't quite cold yet. Want some, anyway?"

The ladies nodded their assent, and he proceeded to open the bottle. Bianca smiled demurely. "Lena tells me you're a pilot. How exciting. What's it like to have hundreds of lives in your hands, day after day?"

Pouring the wine into plastic cups, Richard shook his head. "I'm not a commercial airline pilot. I fly a private jet. I don't usually have many passengers."

Her eyes widened in awe. "Really? Who owns the jet? Is it someone famous?"

Richard tilted his head. "Yes, but I'm not at liberty to say who it is."

Lena pouted. "Well, it must be fascinating to fly a celebrity around."

The pilot shrugged and took a gulp of wine. "It has it's perks. I wasn't too thrilled with this particular flight. There was a baby on board and he cried _a lot_."

Lena and Bianca exchanged quick glances. Lena made sympathetic noises. "A baby! How tedious for you."

Bianca gasped. "I know who it is! Brad and Angelina just had their baby. It was them, wasn't it?"

Richard rolled his eyes. "No, no, no. I don't work for actors – they're too temperamental. My boss is a doctor."

Bianca wrinkled her nose. "A doctor? How boring! I thought you said he was famous. Or did he resurrect someone from the dead?"

He frowned at her. "Doctor Ma…my boss is a brilliant fertility specialist. He's in high demand all over the world."

Lena shuddered. "He makes babies? Bianca's right, doctors are boring. I think pilots are much, much more interesting." She flashed him a dazzling smile.

There was a knock at the door. Scowling, Richard went to go answer it. A man in a security uniform had Leo's arm in a firm grip. "Sir, one of the other guests alerted us to this man loitering outside your door. I thought you should be informed before I throw him out."

The pilot put his hands on his hips. "Who the hell are you?"

Lena shot to her feet. "Max! How could you? Did you follow us, here?"

Richard turned to her. "You know this man?"

Bianca stood. "He's our boyfriend."

The security guard dropped his hand from Leo's arm. "Our?"

Leo shook his head. "I was only gone two days. I should have known you two would get restless."

Lena pouted. "We were bored. It's no big deal, darling. You know that we always come back to you."

Richard and the security guard watched, agog, as Lena and Bianca walked over to Leo. Lena kissed him on his right cheek at the same time that Bianca kissed him on his left one. He draped his arms around their shoulders. Lena gave Richard an apologetic look. "Perhaps next time, mon cher."

They made a casual, but swift retreat. Once they were outside the hotel, Bianca sagged against the side of the building. "I can't believe we made it out of there."

Leo shook his head. "I should have been more discreet in my eavesdropping. Did you guys learn anything?"

Bianca clasped her hands. "Yes! It _was_ Doctor Madden's jet, and the pilot mentioned Spike."

Lena nodded. "Unfortunately, we did not get the chance to find out where they went after they left the airport."

Bianca whipped out her cell phone. "Now that we know Retcon Industries is one of Madden's dummy corporations, we can find out what other assets he has under that name. I'll get my people at Cambias to work on it. Meanwhile, I want to go say goodnight to Miranda. We should probably try to get a little sleep until it's time to pick up Kendall." She smiled ruefully, knowing that sleep would continue to be difficult.

Lena tilted her head. "How are Maggie and Miranda?"

Bianca smiled. "They're doing fine. Miranda is simply thriving in Paris."

Lena's smile was bittersweet. "I am so glad that you are happy. I…I think I always suspected that you and Maggie would end up together."

Bianca frowned. "What do you mean?"

Lena shook her head. "I shouldn't have said anything. It is all water under the bridge."

Bianca gave her a stern look. "No. I want you to tell me. Did you have these thoughts when you and I were still together?"

Lena glanced over at Leo, who had discreetly turned away and was contemplating the airplanes take off in the distance. She cleared her throat. "When I was in Poland, trying to pursuade you to come see me, I couldn't understand what was going on - you had all these excuses that didn't make sense. I decided in the end that the real reason you didn't want to leave Pine Valley was because you were falling for Maggie. So, I removed myself from the picture."

Bianca shook her head. "Oh God, Lena! I never wanted to come to Poland because of _Miranda_. Even though I thought she was Babe's little girl, I couldn't leave her. I understand why you felt the way you did – my behavior didn't make any sense to me, either. Why was I choosing someone else's child over the woman I loved? But now that I know the truth, it makes perfect sense. She was _my_ child. I knew deep down that she was mine, and I couldn't leave her."

Lena nodded. "When the truth came out that Bess was really Miranda, I finally understood. I realized that was why you couldn't bring yourself to leave Pine Valley. But by then I had already ended it between us." She looked away, tears welling in her eyes. "We – we just weren't meant to be together. You belong with Maggie – the signs were there all along."

Bianca held up her hand. "What are you doing? Are you trying to justify our breakup by saying it was fated for me to be with Maggie? That's bullshit, Lena. It wasn't fate that tore us apart, it was circumstances. Babe let me believe my child was dead. Your mother was dying and you needed to be with her on another continent. Those things don't work well to nurture a relationship."

Lena swiped at the wetness on her cheeks. "Why must you be so logical? Don't you realize that it is easier for me to believe we were never destined to be together? I have never stopped loving you, Bianca. I lay in bed at night wondering what would have happened if I had just held on a bit longer. If I had waited _just one more month_, you could have come to visit me in Poland with Miranda in your arms. I gave up too soon. On you, on our love." Her voice cracked, her expression stricken.

Bianca grimaced, her own eyes welling up. "How am I supposed to deal with this? It took me a long time to come to terms with the fact that it was over between you and I. I feel like we're ripping open old wounds."

Lena clasped her hands together. "I'm sorry, Bianca. None of this is your fault. You were right not to come to Poland. If you had, you might never have known the truth about Miranda." She sighed. "Whether or not you and Maggie were destined to be together, there is no denying that you _are_ happy with her."

Bianca wearily rubbed her forehead, sniffing. "Yes, yes I am happy with her. But that doesn't mean I couldn't have been happy with you. I guess we'll never know, will we?" She glanced over at Leo. "I need to make some phone calls." She turned and walked towards the parking lot, trying to force herself not to run.

Leo gave Lena a compassionate look. "For what it's worth, I know how you feel."

Lena gazed at him, her eyes infinitely sad. "I know you do, Leo. I hope you find Greenlee." With that startling statement, she turned and walked in the opposite direction.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Zach and David arrived at the airport and met Ryan at the hanger where the Cambias jet was parked. Ryan nodded at Zach. "They're refueling and filing a flight plan. We should be good to go in half an hour." Ryan looked over at David. "What the hell is he doing here?"

"Long story. He's coming with us."

Ryan shook his head. "No, absolutely not. He's already caused enough problems, I don't want him involved."

David glared at him. "I deserve to be a part of this."

Ryan gave him an incredulous look. "Why, because of Greenlee? You may have once been tied to her because she was married to your brother, but that thread snapped a long time ago."

David shook his head. "You're an idiot. True - I want to find Greenlee. Our bond is much stronger than you would like to think. But that's not why I'm here. I deserve to know the truth about my brother."

Ryan's eyebrows shot up. Before he could open his mouth, Zach pointed to his left. "There's someone who could give you some answers. Fair warning though – those answers could be lies."

Ryan and David turned and saw Chris Stamp approaching. David's jaw dropped open. "Oh my God. Slater was telling the truth."

Chris walked up to the group of men. He was not pleased to see David. He was less pleased when David grabbed his shirt. "I want to talk to you!"

Chris shoved him away. "I haven't got time for you, Hayward." He looked at Ryan. "When do we leave?"

Ryan shook his head. "I wasn't aware that I invited you to come with us. Zach, did you say he could tag along?"

Zach shook his head. "Nope."

Chris rolled his eyes. "This is pointless. We all want the same thing, and we can work much faster if we pool our resources."

Ryan laughed harshly. "I wasn't aware that your resources have produced a damn thing. All those tax dollars I pay and the government can't manage to ferret out a single lead on my son."

Chris jabbed a finger at him. "If it weren't for me, none of you would have any idea that Greenlee is missing and possibly kidnapped by Madden."

Ryan spread his hands. "What the hell are you talking about? We found out about Greenlee from Bianca."

Chris nodded. "And the only reason Bianca knew was through my source in Paris."

Zach smiled coldly. "I thought you said Max didn't know Bianca."

David grabbed Chris's shirt again. "Speaking of Max, you're going to give me some answers about him."

Ryan was getting fed up. "Tell you what, the two of you have your little chat about whoever this Max person is. Zach and I have a flight to catch." He started to walk away.

David turned to Zach. "You're not leaving without me. You promised!"

"You can come with us if you make it to the jet by the time the pilot is ready to take off. We're not holding it for you, so you better make it quick. This one, " He pointed to Chris, "can find his own transportation."

He caught up with Ryan, who gave him an annoyed look. "You want to explain to me why you're saddling us with that jerk?"

Zach sighed. "As he said, it's a long story. It'll make for some interesting in-flight entertainment."

They arrived at the jet. The pilot welcomed them with a smile. "Good news! We're ready to go now. There's a few other jets also planning to take off, so if we want to get in ahead of them we should leave immediately."

Ryan clapped his hands together. "Fantastic! I'm more than ready to hit the road."

Zach jerked his thumb back. "What about Hayward. We need to…"

Ryan made a cutting gesture. "No! I'm not waiting for him. If we don't leave now, we'll have to get in behind all those other jets. Hayward can hitch a ride with Chris. It will give them more time for their heart-to-heart." He turned and climbed into the jet.

Zach looked back at the tarmac where David and Chris had been standing. They were nowhere in sight. He shrugged. Chris was more than capable of commandeering a government jet, and David would no doubt make sure he wasn't left behind a second time. Besides, it was Ryan's jet and he called the shots. Zach climbed into the jet to join Ryan, allowing himself a cynical smile that he was a mere passenger on a Cambias jet.

---------

Chris began walking away from David, pulling out his cell phone so he could arrange a flight to Paris. He dialed a number in Washington DC, and asked to be put through to Senator Webberly. While he was on hold, he was grabbed from behind. "Not so fast, you son of a bitch. I want answers!" David jerked Chris around to face him. "Is my brother alive? Did you make him change his face? Is he the Max person you talked about earlier? What did you do to make him fake his death? What hold do you have over him?"

Chris shoved him away again. "You actually think I'm the one with the hold over your brother? You forgot about your mother."

There was a flicker in David's eyes. "Vanessa. So you admit it? Leo and Vanessa are alive?"

Chris glanced over to where the Cambias jet was parked. "Looks like your ride is leaving."

David looked and saw that the hatch was closed and the jet was starting to inch out of it's parking spot. "Goddamn it! So much for Slater's word." He looked back at Chris. "I know you have a way of getting to Paris. You're taking me with you."

Chris wondered at what point in time his life went to hell in a handbasket. He held up his cell phone. "Neither of us are going anywhere if you don't let me make some calls."

David spread his hands. "Be my guest. And when you're finished, you can make your case for why I shouldn't kill you with my bare hands the minute we land in France."

---------

Greenlee blearily glanced over at the window, noticing that it was dark. She moaned. "Do I want to know what time it is? How long have I been in labor?"

Erica dabbed her forehead with a washcloth. "It's pretty late. Try to rest, sweetheart. Greg says you're almost fully dilated, so it won't be long now."

"Rest? _Rest_??? The only way I could possibly rest in my condition is if you stick a knife through my heart and put me out of my misery. But you can't do that, because Madden made sure there's no knives within ten square miles of this god-forsaken hell hole. Except of course for his scalpels that he takes with him every time he goes off to God-knows-where."

Erica bit her lip. "His staff certainly has been quite thorough in removing anything that could possibly be used as a weapon. I'm sure there's something in the kitchen. There has to be. I just haven't checked there because it's in an open area."

Greenlee looked at the ceiling. "Oh _God_ why couldn't I have had this baby yesterday? I was in a hospital. With a nice doctor who more than likely wasn't a psychopath. I'm pretty sure they had epidurals there." Tears streamed down her face. "And Max was there. Why couldn't I have believed his stupid lie? We'd probably be together right now. I wouldn't have gone to the airport and run into Doctor Freakazoid."

"Who is Max, dear? What lie did he tell you?"

Greenlee turned to her side, overwhelmed with exhaustion. "He claimed to be Leo."

Erica stared at her, aghast. "_What_?"

Greenlee sniffled. "He must have done a lot of research. When I first met him, he reminded me immediately of Leo. He was like him in so many ways. He took me out that night and we had a wonderful time." She stared up at the ceiling. "When I was in the hospital yesterday, I was so tired and relieved that I was okay, that I believed for a minute that he really was Leo. He was quick to go right along with my delusion. But the very idea that Leo would have let me believe he was dead for four years...I snapped out of it and ordered him to get out. I only saw him once more, when I was on my way to the airport. If only he had stopped me. Begged my forgiveness. If only I hadn't decided that going back to Ryan was the solution to my problems…" Her voice trailed off, and after a few moments she looked over at Erica. "Have Ryan and Kendall gotten…close?"

Erica smiled ruefully. "Yes. They're both pretty enchanted with their…with Spike." She shrugged. "But they aren't nearly as close as I would like. Kendall is very much in love with Zach." Erica rolled her eyes. "_Why_, I have no idea."

Greenlee laughed weakly. "I know what you mean. That man is too weird for words. He's hot in an intense sort of way, but who needs all that drama?"

Erica sighed. "We Kane women seem to be magnets for drama."

Greenlee shook her head. "It's not exclusive to the Kanes. I seem to attract it as well. Must be a Pine Valley thing. And now we've exported it to France."

Erica looked down. "_France_. It's still hard to believe that I'm in the same country as Bianca. So close…"

Greenlee reached out and took her hand. "Do you think she's still here? She might have gone back to the "U.S. to help in the search for you."

Erica's face crumpled in anguish. "I hate that my girls are worried about me. I hate that Kendall is surely out of her mind over Spike. I think I'm more scared for their sake than my own, if that makes any sense."

Greenlee stroked her belly. "I'm beginning to understand."

Erica stood up and went over to the window. She looked up at the moon. "Oh Bianca, honey. I hope you can feel me. I hope that you know deep inside of you that I'm alright."

---------

Bianca sat in the window seat, staring out into the street. The room was dark, and moonlight washed over her. "You're so close, mother. I'm convinced you're still in France, somewhere. We'll find you." She closed her eyes, full of misery.

She heard footsteps behind her. "Binks? Can't sleep?" She shook her head.

Leo reached out and squeezed her shoulder. "I don't mean to pry, but…I couldn't help but notice that you and Maggie seemed to be arguing. Is everything okay?"

Bianca swiped at her tears. "I honestly don't know. She flipped out when I told her about Lena helping us. I didn't even say anything about our argument. Just the fact that she was with us set Maggie off." She shook her head. "I assured her that she meant the world to me…and to Miranda. We're a family and I'd never even _think_ of destroying it for an old flame. She got this strange look on her face and said that she needed to go out for awhile. After watching Miranda for most of the day, she needed some space."

"And she hasn't come back yet?"

Bianca shook her head. "Nope."

Leo sat down beside her. "So what crazy ideas are going on in that head of yours?"

Bianca sighed. "I don't think you want to hear all the gory details."

He gave her a stern look. "Binks…"

She chuckled slightly, then shrugged. "Okay, but I warned you." She looked out the window again. "Maggie and I were friends for a long time. We connected with each other so deeply – it was and is a beautiful thing. When she came with me to Paris, we took things slowly. I think…I think she enjoys the physical side on some level. It's a natural extension of our relationship. But…I think if it weren't for the fact that we care about each other so deeply, she would have no interest in women at all. I also think that she's missing…being with a guy." Bianca sighed. "It could all be in my head - that deadly Kane insecurity gene. It's just that, I never got that feeling with Lena. She'd never been with a woman before me, but she took to it rather well." Bianca blushed. "She told me that she's always been attracted to women, but she never felt the urge to explore that part of herself until she met me. Maggie never even contemplated the possibility until our friendship deepened. I don't know, am I making any sense?"

"Do you think maybe Maggie is the one who's insecure - not you? Maybe she's not as fulfilled as she would like, but she's afraid of losing you if she admits it."

Bianca looked down. "I see her checking out good-looking men. I wouldn't have an issue with that – we all check people out – but when she realizes that I see her doing it, she gets this guilty look on her face."

Leo brushed a lock of her hair from her forehead. "Do you think she's cheating on you with a man?"

Bianca winced. "Ouch. Cut right to the heart of it, didn't you? I wish I knew one way or another. There are the typical signs, but everything has a logical explanation. I know she loves me, Leo." She broke off, tears welling in her eyes. Leo gathered her to him as she sobbed out all her pain, fear and frustration.

---------

Kendall answered her ringing cell. "Zach?"

"Hey, beautiful."

She slumped back against the seat. "Oh Zach, it's wonderful to hear your voice. Were you able to get the Cambias jet?"

"At this very moment, Ryan and I are flying above the same ocean, a couple of hours behind you."

"Really? So you took off a few hours ago?"

"Yeah. I would have called you sooner, but Ryan and I were having a heart-to-heart."

She raised her eyebrows. "Ooookay. About what?"

He sighed. "A lot of things. Chris Stamp, Spike's paternity, Greenlee's disappearance, the fact that she's pregnant. And then there's the latest conspiracy theory I dropped on him." He gave her the broad strokes of his belief that the man with Bianca in Paris is Leo du Pres, the same man he helped fake his identity in Rio.

Kendall was silent for awhile. "Well, as far as conspiracy theories go, yours is the only one I know of that's completely accurate."

"How do you know?"

"Bianca called a couple of hours ago with an update. She told me all about how Leo showed up at her apartment, resurrected from the dead. He had a new face and he'd been working for Chris Stamp all this time. Of course, I didn't know that he was the same man you helped in Rio. But what you just said about Max being in Paris with Greenlee fits. They have to be the same person. My God, Zach, how freaky is that? Long before you even heard of Pine Valley, you were interacting with people from there. Zach, I just thought of something. You told me that when Max was in Rio, he was being trained with a woman claiming to be his aunt. That had to have been Vanessa! That psychotic bitch is alive, too!"

"I think she's the least of our problems right now. Did Bianca tell you anything about the search for Madden?"

Kendall told him about the pilot confirming that the jet from New York had been Madden's. "Bianca's got some Cambias people doing a search of this company's other assets. They're hoping that Madden is still in France, somewhere."

"Kendall, please don't…..unpredictable….hurt…" There was too much static for her to hear what he was saying. She caught the words "turbulence" and "call later" and then the line disconnected.

She looked out the window and sighed, saddened that she didn't get to talk to him longer. Four more hours till she landed in Paris.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Kendall hugged her sister tightly. "Binks, I'm so glad to see you!" She pulled back and stroked Bianca's hair. "I know we saw each other less than a month ago -- during that last crisis that hit our family. Why do these things keep happening?" Her face crumpled.

Bianca pulled her in for another hug. "Oh God, Kendall. I can't imagine how terrified you must feel. We'll find them. We'll find Spike, safe and sound."

Kendall murmured into her hair, "I think you _can_ imagine how I feel."

Bianca shook her head. "My situation was different. I was told that my daughter was dead. You _know_ Spike is out there somewhere, alive, and you can't be with him. It's the same with Dixie. She's been looking for Kate for four years. If Miranda was missing, I think I'd go insane."

"Well, the other difference in our situations is that Dixie and I still have hope of being reunited with our children. Your hope was crushed. Deliberately. By Babe." She looked over at Leo, who had been standing to one side. "But I guess crushing people's hopes is par for the course in Vanessa's twisted little family tree." She stepped away from Bianca and went over to Leo. "Leo?" He nodded. She glared at him. "Do you have any idea how much pain you've caused? Greenlee…Bianca… The ripple effect of your actions…" She paused and looked away. "You know what? I want so much to tear into you for what you did, but I don't have the energy. My child is missing. A child that I never would have had, ironically, if you hadn't faked your death. I'm not going to waste time with recriminations. We need to find the people we love, so let's just get on with it."

Bianca put her arm around Kendall. "We have a lead. Retcon Industries has ownership of a chalet in France. Madden is really paranoid – so far no one has been able to find an actual address for this chalet. The exact location is missing from all of the documents that we've been able to find. But…" She held up a finger, smiling, "my people have been able to uncover a spending account set up in a small town a couple of hours from here for groceries and other household expenses. There's been some activity in that account recently, including the purchase of baby items."

Kendall let out a tiny gasp. "Spike."

Leo cleared his throat. "We thought we'd head there immediately and start asking around."

Kendall bit her lip. "We should wait until Ryan and Zach get here. It will only be two more hours."

Leo shook his head. "I don't want to cut them out of the loop, but we need to act fast. I'm worried that Madden's pilot will figure out Bianca and Lena's little charade and tip him off that we're closing in. Let's just go to the town and make our inquiries. As soon as Ryan gets here, we can call him and fill him in. He can join us wherever we are at that point."

Kendall sighed. She had the sneaking suspicion that before the static cut him off, Zach was urging her to stay put until he got there. But Leo's concern about the pilot shouldn't be taken lightly. "Well, thank God for cell phones. Let's move."

Leo nodded once and held out his hand towards the direction of the parking lot. "So who's the guy flying in with Ryan? Zach, did you say his name was?"

They started walking through the airport terminal. "Yep. He's an old friend of yours, _Max_."

----------

Greenlee was more exhausted than she'd ever been in her entire life. When Madden reached out to put the baby in her arms, she almost didn't have the strength to take him. But there was no way in hell she was going to pass up this opportunity to hold her precious child. Besides, she wanted to get him away from Madden. She gazed down at her tiny son. He was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

Madden hovered, "I need to examine him, make sure he is the picture of health."

When he reached his hands out, Greenlee growled, "Don't touch him! He's perfectly fine. Perfectly perfect, in fact."

As Greenlee was helping her baby to latch onto her breast, Madden reached into his medical bag and withdrew a syringe. "You've lost a lot of fluids, Greenlee. I want to give you something that will help keep you from becoming dehydrated as you nurse him." As he was reaching for her arm, Erica's hand shot out and knocked the syringe away. It bounced against the end table and shattered. He glared at her. "What is the matter with you?"

Erica narrowed her eyes. "That was complete bullshit and you know it. You were going to drug her so that you could take her baby without a fight."

"Don't be absurd! Why would I take her baby from her?" He rummaged in his bag some more. "Damn it, that was the last one. Now I'll have to fetch another syringe." Glaring at Erica, he took his bag and walked out the door.

Erica went over to the door and peered out, watching him disappear down the hallway. Satisfied he was gone, she turned to Greenlee. "We have to go to the kitchen now. This is our only chance. He's planning to dope you up. After what I just did, I'm betting I'll be next."

Greenlee blinked. "Tell me again why we have to go to the kitchen?"

Erica rolled her eyes. "In my last two trips I wasn't able to get far enough to find anything before he came back. There's no time to keep looking in other rooms. The kitchen is our best bet to find weapons. There has to be something there. Besides, once we get there, we're going to have barricade ourselves in until we can figure something out. Might as well hole up someplace that has provisions."

Greenlee leaned her head back. "I don't know if I have the energy to make it there."

"Greenlee, we don't have time for this. Focus on keeping your child safe. That will give you the strength."

Greenlee nodded wearily. "You're right." She carefully laid the baby down on the bed and eased her legs over so she could sit up. After a moment, she took a deep breath and stood up. Erica came over with a robe she found in the closet. Greenlee scooped the baby up and followed Erica out the door.

---------

Tad stared at the ringing telephone. The caller ID showed that it was the DNA lab. He glanced over at Dixie. She was white as a sheet. He picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

Dixie clasped her hands together in silent prayer. She watched as Tad listened to the person on the other end of the line. He nodded a couple of times, then thanked the person and hung up. He put his hand over Dixie's clenched fists. "The little girl wasn't a match."

Her throat constricted. "No! No, no, no, no, no!" Tears fell from her eyes as she lowered her forehead to rest on top of Tad's hand.

"We're going to find her, Dixie."

She lifted her head. "How can we do that if Madden is missing? You know how hard he was to find before. He has even more incentive to disappear, now."

"Ryan and Zach will find him."

"Yeah, and probably kill him before he can say anything."

Tad looked grim. "I'll call them, make sure they understand that he needs to be taken alive."

He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Ryan's number. It went to voice mail. He tried Zach and got the same response. He next tried Jackson. He got ahold of him, and was told that Ryan and Zach were on their way to Paris, and that was probably why they didn't answer their cells. They were due to land in an hour. When Tad hung up with Jackson, he suddenly had an idea. He dialed Josh's number. "Josh, it's Tad Martin. I need your help. The cops have already questioned Madden's assistant, Hazel, and she's pretending that she doesn't know anything. I think maybe she might open up to you. Will you come with me so that we can find out what she knows?" Josh assented and Tad arranged to meet him at the clinic.

Tad stood up. "Dixie, I'm heading over to the clinic to question Hazel. I need you to do me a favor. Ryan and Zach will be landing in Paris soon. I need you to keep calling their cell phones. As soon as you get ahold of them, find out what they know, what they're planning next, and make damn sure they don't put a bullet in Madden before we can get our hands on him. Got it?"

Dixie nodded and impulsively reached out to give him a hug. "Thank you so much, Tad. If anyone can get anything out of Hazel, I know you can do it."

He looked down at the woman that he had loved for so long, mourned for years, and recently sparked in him such resentment and anger. Unable to help himself, he gave her a quick, hard kiss, then turned and walked out the door.

Ryan came out of the cockpit, having been summoned there by the pilot a few minutes ago. Zach gave him an enquiring look. "We're going to be landing soon, but that wasn't why he called me in there. Since our cell phones don't seem to be working, Chris relayed a message to us pilot to pilot. He and David had some trouble commandeering a government jet, so Chris cashed in a few markers. Get this – he got ahold of a Concorde." Zach's eyebrows went skyward. Ryan nodded. "He's going to be landing less than an hour after we get there. He wants us to wait so we can all coordinate our plans. Yeah right!" Ryan chuckled and sat back down in his seat, buckling his belt.

Zach tapped his arm rest. "I think we should wait for them."

Ryan gave him an incredulous look, then narrowed his eyes. "I know why you want them to help us."

"I doubt it."

"You're thinking of the blackout and lying to Ethan. You feel sympathy for Chris and David because they also took extreme measures to help someone, which blew up in their faces. You want them to have the chance to redeem themselves." Zach looked away from him, clenching his jaw. Ryan went on, "Then there's the fact that you helped Leo create a new identity, while his loved ones were back in Pine Valley mourning his death. You're trying to make it up to David."

"I don't have to make a damn thing up to David, after what he did to Maria."

Ryan shook his head. "You like to pretend you're a bad ass, but you have an overdeveloped sense of responsibility. You hate David, but you still felt he deserved the truth."

"Stuff your psychoanalysis, Lavery. I don't have a compassionate bone in my body."

"Keep telling yourself that." Ryan regarded him for a moment. "You'll make a great father for Spike."

Zach glared at him. "_Step_father. Just because you have another baby on the way doesn't absolve you from your responsibility to Spike."

Ryan scowled. "If Spike were my child, I would never turn my back on him. I would love him just as much as Greenlee's baby. I _do_ love him, more than I can say. Let's face the facts, though. I no longer have a biological connection to Spike. Kendall isn't going to want me around making things complicated."

"Kendall is all about complicated, and you know that. She'll give you all kinds of shit if you try to bow out of being a part of Spike's life. I guarantee you right at this moment she's daydreaming about rescuing Spike, Erica and Greenlee, and convincing Greenlee to come back to Pine Valley so they can raise their children together with you, me, and…"

"Leo? Don't forget Leo, Greenlee's first and true love. I'm sure she could be convinced to let me be a part of our child's life. But with Leo's resurrection, any possibility of her becoming my wife again is gone." Ryan chuckled ruefully. "This is becoming a pattern. Yet another woman I love is having my baby and raising it with another man."

"You're assuming she'll forgive Leo for faking his death for four years. You saw how pissed she was at you, and you were only gone a few months."

Ryan shook his head. "I don't want her to turn to me just because she's hurt by what he did. I saw them together, Zach. Greenlee loved me very much, but it wasn't even close to what she had with Leo. If he really is alive, they deserve another chance. I love them both, and I'll do what I can to make it happen."

Zach shook his head. "You're more altruistic than I would be."

When the Cambias jet landed, Zach and Ryan disembarked. Ryan looked around. "From what I understand, this is the same field where the Greenlee jet is supposed to be parked."

Zach nodded. "Hopefully Kendall is around here somewhere with Bianca and Leo." He started walking towards the hangar, checking his cell phone for any messages from Kendall. There was one and he listened to it. "Son of a bitch!" He looked over at Ryan. "They aren't here. They're following a lead in the French countryside – she didn't give the name of the town. All she said is that they're chasing down the location of a chalet owned by one of Madden's dummy corporations. Goddamn it. I tried to tell her to stay put until we got here, but either the static got in the way or she's ignoring my wishes." Ryan raised one eyebrow and Zach rolled his eyes. He dialed her number, and was bumped to voice mail. "Wherever they are must not have reception. Now what?"

Ryan took out his cell phone. "I bet Bianca used her sources at Cambias to get the lead. I'll call them to find out if we can get the same information." He started to dial the number, when he noticed Zach staring at something in the distance. He looked and saw an older woman walking purposefully towards one of the jets on the tarmac. "Do you know that woman?"

Zach took a deep breath. "I know her as Sophie Prentice. If all our theories are correct, her real name is Vanessa Cortlandt."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Vanessa stopped in front of one of the jets. This didn't look like the right one. Dammit! She frowned down at the piece of paper in her hand. Lazare's right hand man was an idiot. Instead of providing her with an escort to the jet, he scribbled the directions down and expected her to find it herself. What a little weasel. She would have to call Lazare once she boarded his jet and let him know just what kind of man his subordinate was. She almost felt bad about deceiving him. He thought he was loaning it to her for a shopping trip to Thailand. She needed it to escape Chris.

Stamp had called to let her know that he was on his way to France, and that there would be major repercussions for letting Leo get out of hand. She was sick to death of being under his thumb. She needed to disappear once and for all. What neither Chris nor Leo knew was that she had been accumulating a great deal of money from her many liaisons with powerful men in the underworld. She didn't have quite as much as she would like, but it would have to do. Procuring Lazare's jet was the last key to her plan. Much as she hated to part from Leo, he made his own bed when he staged his resurrection.

For a time she had considered confiding in Lazare. She rather liked him – they were very similar in a lot of ways. Because they were of like minds, she knew how he would react if she told him that her job had been to spy on him. Confessing her sins would not have garnered any sympathy with him. He would have had her killed. Once she got to Thailand, she would send the jet back to Paris with a note to Lazare, telling him a shortened version of the truth – the US government was after her, and she needed to go to ground. She'd leave out the part about working for them. He would understand and not want to get involved, lest any scrutiny fall on him.

Sighing, she turned to go in another direction. She stopped short when she saw two men staring at her. Her heart seized up when she realized that one of them was Ryan Lavery. She tried to calm down. After all, she looked completely different. He could have no idea who she was. But if that was the case, why was he looking at her as if he _did_ know? She studied the man Ryan was with, and realized that she knew him too. Zach Slater, the casino owner who helped her and Leo establish their new identities. What the hell was he doing with Ryan Lavery? He couldn't have been the one to tell Ryan who she was because he didn't know her real identity himself.

She stood, frozen in place, as Lavery and Slater approached her. She glanced around and saw that the area they were in was fairly deserted. She clutched her purse in front of her, inching her hand inside to the cold steel hidden there. The two men stopped in front of her. Zach Slater cocked his head. "Sophie?"

She gave him a cool smile. "Do we know each other? Oh yes… of course. I was a customer at your casino once. How are you… Mr. Slater, isn't it?"

Ryan stared at her with that smug expression she loathed so much. "Cut the crap, Vanessa. It's over. I know you and Leo have been alive all this time, and that my father orchestrated the whole thing. Tell me, how much convincing did it take you to get Leo to go along with playing dead?"

Her fingers curled around the handle of the gun. She gazed at him imperiously. "Who I am and what I do with my life is none of your concern, young man."

She moved to sweep around them, but Ryan's arm shot out and clasped her arm in a firm grip. "Did you have anything to do with Greenlee's disappearance?"

She raised her chin. "Take your hands off me! I don't know anything about a person named Greenlee."

He yanked her closer. "I can't count the number of times you tried to get rid of her because you didn't want her around your son. Now she's disappeared and we find you skulking around the place where she was last seen. I want answers _right_ now!"

Vanessa took one more glance around the immediate area, adopting an expression of deep embarrassment. The place was deserted. She pulled the gun from the purse, and pressed it against Ryan's side. "I repeat, take your hands off me. I will put a bullet right through you and claim it was self-defense. I'm sure the bruises on my arm would bear out my story." Ryan slowly released her arm and backed away to stand next to Slater. Vanessa glared at them both, her eyes burning with fury. "You stupid fools. I was so close to disappearing for good this time. I had nothing to do with Greenlee's vanishing act! If you had just left me alone, you could be off searching for her right now. But you just _had_ to expose me. Now I need to figure out what to do with you two clowns."

She knew that taking them aboard Lazare's jet was out of the question – the two men would likely signal somebody for help. She couldn't kill them here – the bodies would be discovered too quickly and she probably wouldn't escape fast enough. The only choice was to take them to her car and drive somewhere remote where she could kill them there. "Here's what we're going to do. We'll go out to the parking lot, and get in my car. I'll drop you off in some deserted location. While you're trying to get back to civilization, I'll return here and board my jet as originally planned before you two fucked things up. If you make one move to escape, I will not hesitate to shoot a hole in you. You won't be able to save Greenlee if you're bleeding to death."

She waved her gun to indicate the direction they should walk. At that moment, she heard a noise like a cell phone ringing. It was coming from Ryan's blazer pocket. "Take the cell phone out and throw it to the ground. It damn well better continue ringing so I know you didn't answer it."

Sighing, he pulled out the tiny phone and set it on the ground. It continued to chirp a little tune. After the fourth ring it stopped. Vanessa nodded to Slater. "I know you have one too. Get rid of it." She tightened the grip on her gun, trying not to be intimidated by the stony glare he directed towards her as he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and tossed it. She knew he could be a very dangerous man when crossed. Well, soon enough he would be a dead man and she would no longer need to be concerned with what he could do to her. "Good job. Now let's get this show on the road, shall we?"

---------

Kendall stood outside the little shop, staring at her cell phone. "Come on, you stupid hunk of wires and plastic! Why can't we get a signal? I want to talk to Zach. Is that too much to ask? I want my husband!" Catching herself from tossing it into the shrubbery, she instead started to pace. When she left him the voice mail, did she say the name of the town where they'd be going? She didn't think so. Kendall groaned. Why did she let Leo and Bianca persuade her to leave the airport without Zach? She should have known that the French countryside would have spotty reception.

Kendall glanced at the entrance to the little shop. She wondered if they were having any luck. So far, they've struck out in all the places where they've made inquiries. Either these people genuinely didn't know Dr. Madden (which could be because his staff made trips to town, not him), or they didn't want to give out information to strangers. The last place they went, Kendall was convinced the shopkeeper was lying. She'd gotten in his face and started screaming at him. Which was why Leo told her to wait outside this time around. She sat down on a nearby bench, trying to hold back her tears. She felt like they were getting close. She could sense her baby was around here, somewhere.

An old woman shuffled over to the bench and sat down on the opposite end. Kendall looked at her inquiringly, but she stared straight ahead. In a trembling voice, the woman said, "You are seeking Doctor Madden?"

Kendall felt her heart starting to pound. "Yes, yes I am. Do you know him?"

The old woman plucked at her skirt. "Why do you wish to see him? To obtain his services?"

Kendall narrowed her eyes. She had a feeling that the woman would not help her if she gave the wrong answer. She would probably see right through Kendall if she lied, so she decided to be straight with her. She nervously licked her lips. "No. I've already obtained his services. To my _deepest_ regret."

The woman's mouth tightened. "So you know what kind of man he really is." Kendall's eyes filled with tears. She nodded wordlessly. The woman closed her eyes and sighed. "You poor dear," she said in a low voice. "I used to work for the doctor. The entire staff was very loyal to him. I was too, for awhile. I began to see certain things that I could not…could not justify. But I was afraid of his power. I eventually retired - an excuse to escape that house. But he still visits me from time to time. The caring and attentive former employer, who is clearly checking up on me." She turned to Kendall. "I should not tell you where he is. It is far too dangerous."

Kendall clasped her hands together. "It will be okay. There are three of us, and more are on the way." God, she hoped more were on the way. "Please…he has my baby. He has my mother. He may have my best friend who is pregnant."

The old woman's eyes widened in shock. "He's finally giving into the madness! He would never have taken such a chance before." With a slightly shaking hand, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. She looked around to see if anyone was watching, then handed it to Kendall. "The location of the chalet." She struggled to her feet.

Kendall stood up to help her, but the old woman waved her aside. "Thank…thank you so much!"

The old woman clenched her hands together. "I am going now to say a prayer for you and your friends. God help you."

--------

Greenlee slid down into a corner of the kitchen, exhausted from the trip down the stairs. She hoped she could regain her strength soon. She desperately needed it. She held her baby close to her, and watched as Erica barricaded the door. She grabbed a broom and stuck it through the handles. She found a couple of doorstops and wedged them underneath. When she struggled to push a hutch in front of the door, Greenlee realized she'd need some help.

Greenlee wearily got to her feet and began to look through some drawers. She found one that was filled with some kitchen towels. She tenderly placed her son into the cushioned interior, then went over and helped Erica move the hutch. It was very heavy, but they managed to push it into place. Gasping for breath, Greenlee looked at Erica. "Now what?"

With a look of grim determination, Erica began pulling open drawers. "Now we look for weapons." Methodically, they searched the various places that knives or other sharp objects might be stored. Eventually, Erica came to a cabinet that turned out to be locked. She rattled the knob, then slapped her hand against the door in frustration. "No! I don't believe this. He knew we might try this, so he keeps them locked so we can't get to them." She rested her forehead on her hand. "This was my last hope!"

Greenlee softly spoke her name. "Erica." She turned and looked at her. Greenlee held up a cast iron skillet. "We may not be able to gut him like a fish, but we can flatten the side of his head." Erica smiled and came over to squeeze Greenlee's arm. They looked down at the tiny child snoozing quietly in the linen drawer. Greenlee noted the pained look on Erica's face. "You wish Spike were in here, too."

Erica closed her eyes briefly. "There will be time to get my grandson after we've taken care of Madden. I know that he will be safe – Greg would never hurt him. You and your child were the first priority, because you two were in the most danger."

Greenlee murmured, "Jackson." Erica gave her a puzzled look. "I've named him Jackson. After his grandfather." Erica smiled, but it soon turned to a grimace and tears fell onto her cheeks. Greenlee held out her arms and pulled Erica to her. The two women cried together.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Chris was on board the fastest passenger jet that had ever been made – the Concorde – and he dearly wished it was even faster. Not just because he wanted to catch up to Ryan, or get to Erica sooner so he could ensure her safety - though they were certainly sufficient motivation. He just wanted to get the hell away from David Hayward.

He wasn't sure why he allowed David to come along. Like Ryan, he could have simply refused. He had a feeling, though, that David was capable of causing an ugly mess if he didn't get what he wanted. The last thing Chris needed was someone mucking up the works even more. It certainly wasn't because he felt any sympathy for the shmuck. Chris stood by the decision he made all those years ago, and David's feelings in the matter were just as irrelevant now as they were back then.

He did give in and explain to David how it all came about. It took several weeks for Leo and Vanessa to recover from the injuries sustained when they fell off the bridge and their later unskilled rescue by Chris's men. Leo had been worse off than Vanessa, and remained in a medically-induced coma for quite some time. By the time he came out of it, the people of Pine Valley had long since given he and his mother up for dead. Chris convinced an eager Vanessa to work for him in lieu of jail time. He'd wondered at first what he was going to do with Leo, but the more he talked with Vanessa and learned of her and her son's former partnership in crime, the more he realized that Leo could be quite an asset.

When Leo awoke, he was apprised of their present situation. Everyone thought they were dead, and Vanessa was planning to work for Chris – he explained that he didn't work for the FBI, but rather a more covert branch of the government. Leo wanted immediately to be taken to Greenlee. Chris lied and said they were in Washington D.C. at the moment, and he wasn't well enough to fly. Leo demanded to have Greenlee brought to him, and Chris said that was out of the question. Greenlee would surely find out about their plans for Vanessa, and she would surely not be okay with it. She would blow their top secret plans sky high. Chris said his superiors would not allow such a possibility to happen. Leo reluctantly agreed to wait until he was healed.

Over the course of the next couple of weeks, Chris and Vanessa worked on him psychologically. Leo couldn't understand why Chris would want someone psychotic working for him. He warned Chris that Vanessa could not be controlled. He still believed, at the time, his mother's pretense of madness. Chris knew she was faking it, and told Leo that there was an experimental drug that they had been giving to Vanessa that would correct the chemical imbalance in her head. He pointed out to Leo that it seemed to be working. Vanessa appeared to be cool as a cucumber, which resurrected an old hope in Leo that she might really become the loving mother he had longed for. He began to worry about her going off in the world alone to con information out of dangerous men. Chris assured him that he would be there occasionally to help her, when he wasn't maintaining his cover in Pine Valley. Vanessa shared with Leo her secret concerns that she wouldn't be able to pull off cons without him. She also pretended to worry that her medication might stop working at the wrong time.

Finally Chris proposed the idea of Leo teaming up with his mother to take down the bad guys. Leo was resistant at first, but his mother was there as a constant influence. Chris insinuated that David was continuing to make trouble in Pine Valley, and with a baby on the way, the last thing he needed was to be put in jail for his many crimes. He also mentioned the possibility of reducing his brother Trey's sentence, and making sure he got protection from the more dangerous inmates while he was in jail. The psychological warfare was more than he'd been able to bear.

David listened to Chris's explanations, and shook his head. "Leo's biggest weakness is his family, there's no doubt about that. But he promised Greenlee he would put her first. After all that they'd been through, I can't believe he would have chosen anyone else over her."

Chris shrugged. "I told you everything I know about the situation. There's a lot that went on between Leo and Vanessa that I don't know about."

David's face paled. "Of course. Vanessa. As many times as she went after Greenlee, I wouldn't put it past her to make some sort of threat to get Leo to cooperate." He shook his head. "I can't believe you set that monster loose on the world, with my brother tagging along."

"They have saved hundreds of lives with the work they've done. The world is a better place because of them."

David didn't buy Chris's spin on the situation, and ranted at him for a couple more hours. Sick of hearing him go on and on about the same thing, Chris decided to piss him off in another way. He shared with David all about how he had helped Dixie under the name Ian Wells. Hayward clearly wanted to strangle him to death.

Eventually they landed, and Chris began an immediate search for Ryan and Zach. He asked a passing technician if he knew where the Cambias jet was parked. The man pointed it out in the distance. Chris headed in that direction, David on his heels. A few yards from the jet, he stopped when he saw two men that he thought might be them. David crashed into the back of him. Chris shoved him away. "Watch where you're going, you idiot!"

"Well, why the hell did you stop?"

"I thought I spotted Ryan, but it isn't him. Wrong color jacket." Chris was about to start towards the jet again when he heard a cell phone ringing.

David pointed to the ground. "You dropped your phone."

Chris looked down and saw a phone at his feet. Frowning, he stooped down and picked it up. "This isn't mine. Someone must have lost it." He pressed the answer button. "Hello?"

"Ryan? Oh thank God I finally got ahold of you!"

Chris was stunned. "Dixie? Is that you? This is Chris." David gave him a startled look.

"Chris? What are you doing with Ryan's phone?"

"That's a good question. I'm at Charles de Gaulle airport. I found this phone on the ground just now."

"So Ryan isn't there?"

"No, and neither is Zach." He spotted another cell phone lying nearby. "Hold on a minute, Dixie." He looked at David. "This is Ryan's cell phone. Check that one to see if it belongs to Slater."

David gave him a what-the-hell-is-going-on look and picked up the phone. He flipped it open and found the phone book feature. "Yeah, I think this is Slater's phone. There are entries here for Kendall, Myrtle, the casino. Even Ethan is still listed."

Chris sighed. "Dixie, we've now got two more people missing. It's unlikely that both men would have accidentally dropped their phones at the same time. I need to go, but first could you tell me why you were trying to get ahold of Ryan?" Chris listened as she explained that the child Madden told them about wasn't Kate, and that he needed to be taken alive so they could have another chance at finding their daughter. She also mentioned that Tad was with Josh grilling Hazel. Chris assured her that they would make every effort to keep Greg in the land of the living. He hung up and stared at the cell phone for a moment.

David held up Zach's phone. "We must be close if Madden's snatched them."

Chris slowly shook his head. "Why would he be at the airport again a day later? Something isn't right here." He started walking, hoping to see if Madden's Retcon jet was still there. After awhile, he stopped cold when he saw the nickname emblazoned on the side of one of the jets. He knew that it belonged to Victor Lazare. He had a sudden suspicion. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Vanessa's number. After four rings it went to voice mail. Her phone was on, but she wasn't answering. "Hayward, I need to borrow your cell phone." David gave him an incredulous look. "There's no time to explain, every second counts."

David looked extremely doubtful, but nevertheless pulled his phone out of his pocket and handed it to Chris. Chris opened it and dialed Vanessa's number. He entered a text message, "Mother? David." Then he hit send. He hoped it would work.

--------------------

Erica and Greenlee jumped when they heard banging on the kitchen door. "Erica!!!! Damn you, woman! I know you're in there. Just what do you think you hope to accomplish by barricading yourself in the kitchen? You know I'll get in there eventually. You couldn't possibly be delusional enough to think that you'll be rescued soon. No one could possibly have any idea that you are here. This whole thing is an exercise in futility. Must I remind you that the more you fight against me, the less I will be able to trust you with your grandchild."

Erica shook her head and then called out, "I like how you word it so that it doesn't sound like blackmail. Why don't you just come right out and say that if I don't do your bidding, you'll bar me from seeing Spike?"

"Gregory Junior! Do not dare call him by that ridiculous appellation your imbecilic daughter came up with." There was a long silence on the other side. "Open the goddamn door!" He banged on it repeatedly for a minute. "You fool! All I have to do is call my men to come and break the door down."

"Go ahead. Try and explain to them what's going on here. I know you'll tell them we're crazy, but the more incidents like this happen, the more you'll have to justify your behavior. It's a slippery slope, Doctor Madden. Can you say for sure that every one of your employees will be 100 loyal and never question your motives?"

There was another long pause. "I will get through to you, Erica. And once I do, I'll make sure you pay dearly for your actions."

They heard his footsteps recede. Erica held up the frying pan. "Oh I hope you do get in here, Greg. I want the satisfaction of hearing your skull crack."

------------

The ringtone on Vanessa's phone indicated that she had a text message. She'd ignored the call from Chris Stamp moments ago. Apparently he was trying a new tactic. She decided to see what he had to say. When she looked at the screen, she froze. "Mother? David." She checked the number it came from. The area code was Pine Valley. Was this really David that just contacted her? Less than a minute after Chris tried to call her? Did that mean David was with Chris? Her older son was the one most likely to turn on her, even though they were so much alike. Probably because they were so much alike. She looked up from the cell phone, wondering if she should respond. Slater was looking back at her. She leveled the gun at him. "Eyes forward."

Ryan glanced back from the driver's seat. "Someone really wants to get in touch with you, Vanessa."

"Shut up and keep driving! We're almost to where I'm going to drop you off." Drop their bodies off, that is. There was no way she was going to let them live. Not only did their interference derail her escape, but they knew too much. She didn't want the world to know that she was still alive. Chris probably wouldn't say anything. She'd gotten to know him well enough to know that he never told his superiors when he fucked up. She was also hoping Leo wouldn't say anything. He would never put her in that kind of danger. Would he?

She suddenly wondered if Leo was the one who gave David her phone number. No, that still didn't explain the coincidence of his text message right after Chris's call. Unless…both Leo and David were with Chris.

The cell phone warbled again. Another text message. Vanessa looked at her phone. This time the screen read, "2 4 1 deal. Your kids for mine." Despite the fact that it was the same Pine Valley area code, she knew that Chris was the one sending her the message. He had both Leo and David, and he knew she had Ryan. How did the bastard find out? She was in deep now. If he knew she had Ryan, he could know any number of things. "Stop the car! Pull over, right now!"

Startled, Ryan swerved and came to a rough stop by the side of the road. Vanessa dialed Chris's number. He answered, "Hello Vanessa. Ready to work something out?"

"Look, I wouldn't have grabbed your precious son if he hadn't messed up my plans. All I want is to be left alone. I want you to leave my sons alone, too."

"You know how this works, Vanessa. An eye for an eye. As soon as Ryan is safe, your boys will be too."

"I want more than that! I want your promise that you won't come after me. I'm sick and tired of doing your dirty work for you."

"Why should I let you get away?"

"Let's just say that my freedom is more important to me than my sons. I'm calling your bluff, Stamp. If you want your son to live to see another day, you have to promise me that you won't track me down."

"You got it, babe. Just let Ryan and Slater go."

"In case you've got your fingers crossed, let me leave you with this: If you do find me and try to bring me to justice, I will make sure that your superiors know everything you've been up to ever since I've been under your thumb. Everything."

"As long as you don't commit any brand new shiny felonies that result in lives lost, I don't give a good goddamn what you do with the rest of your miserable life. Now let Ryan go."

She would have to be content with that. Vanessa looked up at Ryan and Zach. "Get out of the car. Both of you." She pointed the gun at them for emphasis. Ryan and Zach climbed out and stood next to the car. "Close the doors and walk ten yards that way." She pointed towards a field. There was a barn and silo in the distance. Zach and Ryan did as they were asked. Vanessa got out of the back seat and quickly slid into the front seat. She spoke into the cell phone. "I've let them go, Stamp. Have a nice life." She tossed the cell phone out the window and peeled away in the car. She watched in the rear view mirror as the two men sprinted for the phone. If they were unable to get transportation, Chris would locate them through the cell phone's GPS. She certainly didn't want him locating her with it. Hopefully she would be far enough away by the time they reconnected, and she would never have to deal with them ever again.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

David watched as Chris paced back and forth. He had no idea what was going on now. He'd stood there, in a state of shock, as Chris negotiated with Vanessa for the release of Ryan and Zach. His mother was alive and had kidnapped two men. Not that David gave a damn about Lavery or Slater. He was still trying to absorb this radical development. David looked around, wondering where Leo could be at this point. His eyes fastened on various men walking purposefully towards their destinations. Because of the fact that Leo had plastic surgery, he could be any one of these men. The only thing David would have to go on is height and build. He wanted to murder Chris. He wanted to murder Vanessa. David had no doubt in his mind that the only thing that would have kept Leo from coming back to Greenlee is if his psychotic mother threatened her in some way. Chris might believe that she wasn't mentally ill, but David figured she had to be certifiable to treat her own son that way. He pulled a lot of shit in his day, but he would never deliberately sabotage the happiness of his children. Babe might like to think that he had a hand in messing up her life, but even she couldn't argue that his intentions were honorable. Vanessa on the other hand…Vanessa knew that Greenlee was everything to Leo, and she had set out to destroy their bond at every opportunity.

David's thoughts returned to the present as Chris murmured repeatedly, "Pick up the phone, Ryan. Pick up the phone."

David frowned. "You're not talking to my mother anymore?"

Chris shook his head. "She told me she let them go, and then I heard what sounded like the phone hitting the ground and the car taking off. I think she threw it out the window and left Ryan stranded. Hello? Ryan? Is that you? Finally!"

Apparently Ryan had retrieved the abandoned cell phone. That meant Vanessa was escaping. David wasn't sure what to think about that. He didn't really care whether she was brought to justice, but he was concerned about her ability to come back at some point and wreak havoc in their lives again. For right now, though, she was the least of their troubles. Her desire to escape would keep her busy for awhile. They still needed to find Madden. There was also the question of Leo. "Chris, does Ryan know where Leo is?"

Chris frowned. "Yeah, Ryan, hold on." He looked at David. "He just told me that Zach got a voice mail from Kendall when they got off the jet. She and Bianca and Leo were headed to some unknown town in the countryside. He tried to call her back, but got no answer. Possibly a signal problem. What's that, Ryan? Okay. Okay. While you're doing that, I'll get my men to locate you via GPS so we can pick you up. We'll talk later." He hung up. "Ryan's going to call Cambias to find out if they know where Bianca and the rest might have gone. I'm going to get his GPS." He turned his phone on again and dialed a number.

David felt a vibration in his hand, and realized that Zach's cell phone was ringing. He answered it. "Hello?"

"Zach? This is Tad. Is Ryan with you?"

David chuckled. "Thaddeus Martin. I'd say it's good to hear your voice, but that's only true if you have some information about Madden's whereabouts."

There was a short silence. "_Hayward_? Did I dial the wrong number?"

"No, this is Zach's cell phone. Zach and Ryan are indisposed at the moment. Don't worry; I wasn't the one that disposed of them. That honor goes to my dear, sweet, not-so-departed mother, Vanessa."

There was an even longer silence. "Vanessa is _alive_?"

"Yup. And so is my brother Leo. Their resurrection is courtesy of the also-not-dead Chris Stamp. Chris is with me right now, trying to locate Lavery and Slater. Here being Charles De Gaulle airport."

"Jesus Christ! Vanessa, Leo _and_ Chris Stamp are all alive? Add Dixie to that number, and you'd have the makings for an episode of the X-Files."

"Speaking of Dixie, you remember the guy who was helping her try to find Kate, the one you liked to refer to as Eurotrash?"

"Ian Wells? What about him?"

"Ian Wells and Chris Stamp are one and the same. He and Dixie apparently had their own little Play Dead Club going on, there." He heard Tad sighing, and savored the pleasure of sharing that tidbit with Thaddeus. "So now that I've caught you up on all that I know, you want to tell me why you were calling Slater?"

"I want to talk to Chris."

"He's busy right now trying to find his son. Did you get a lead on Madden?"

"Hell yes I got a lead. His nurse, Hazel, finally broke. She told us the location of a chalet in France, and I'm betting dollars to doughnuts that's exactly where he's holed up with Erica."

"That's fantastic. Give me the address and we'll go check it out."

"I'm not telling you a damn thing. I'd really prefer giving this info to Ryan, but if it's a choice between you and Chris, he's the lesser of two evils. Put him on the phone, or I'm hanging up."

David muttered, "Son of a bitch," and went over to Chris. "You're gonna want to take this call, Stamp."

Chris shook his head. "I'm still trying to get that GPS."

David shoved the phone in his face. "It's Tad Martin, and he has Madden's whereabouts."

Chris's eyebrows shot up. "Joe, I gotta take a call. Let me know when you've got those coordinates." He hung up, and then took Slater's phone. "Hello?" He held the phone away from his ear, and David could hear Tad yelling something. He chuckled. Chris shook his head and put the phone back to his ear. "Do you think you could stop bitching long enough to tell me where the hell Madden is? Or was Hayward lying?" He took out a small notepad and began writing. "Perfect. I'll let you know when we catch him. Dixie already warned me to take him alive. I'll do the best I can." David chuckled again at the look on Chris's face. Obviously Tad had a few more choice words for him before he hung up.

Chris's phone rang, and he checked the display. "It's Joe." He answered it. "Tell me you've pinpointed their location." He began to write some more on his pad. "How far is that from here? Okay. I've got an address that I want you to run through the computer – I want to know how far away it is from here and from where Ryan is." After a pause, Chris wrote some more on the pad. "Got it. I owe you one, Joe."

------------

Bianca settled into the passenger seat and sighed. "You know, I thought Pine Valley citizens could be suspicious and uncooperative. Hometown's got nothing on these people."

Kendall rubbed her face. "No kidding. I was so excited when that old woman gave me the address to the chalet, but then no one would give us directions! I was about to get violent."

Leo looked back at Kendall. "We're about 45 minutes from the chalet. While I'm driving, keep checking your phone to see if we can get a signal. We might have better luck on the road."

"God, I hope so! We need all the help we can get."

Bianca frowned. "What we should have done is call the police from a land line."

Leo shook his head. "Those villagers weren't about to do us any favors. Besides, Madden might pull a desperate move if he sees the cops pull up with sirens blaring. We need to ambush him." He put his hand on Bianca's. "I've been in a lot of dangerous situations in the past four years. I'm well trained for this sort of thing. Even if we can't call for help, I'm sure we can pull this off. We have to." He turned to face forward, gripped the steering wheel, and took a deep breath. Then he started the car.

---------------

Ryan and Zach continued walking towards the farmhouse in the distance. Ryan had found out from the Cambias people the name of the town where Bianca, Kendall and Leo had likely gone. He tried calling Chris, but was bumped to voice mail. He sighed. "How far away do you think we are from the town? I was told it was an hour and a half from Charles de Gaulle, but I have no idea where we are in relation to it."

Zach shook his head. "We were driving for about an hour, but you're right. We could be in the opposite direction. Chris would have to drive an hour to get us, and then it could be as much as two and a half hours from here to the town."

Ryan nodded, his expression grim. "There's no telling whether they'll still be there when we arrive. Knowing Leo, as soon as he finds out where that chalet is he's not going to wait around for us to get there. And I don't blame him. I'd want to get there as quickly as possible."

"Right. If they've left by the time we get there, then we'll have to waste precious time getting the same information. Dammit!"

Vanessa's cell phone rang, and Ryan answered it. "Chris? I found out the name of the town. I want you to…what's that? You have the address to the chalet? That's great! Listen, don't waste time coming to pick us up. You head there immediately. There's a farm house not far from here – maybe they have a car we can use. Okay. Okay, we'll do that. Chris, I'm counting on you to keep everyone safe. We'll be there when we can." He hung up and then entered a series of numbers into the cell phone. "He gave us the number of a guy named Joe who has our coordinates. When we find a car, he'll give us directions on how to get to the chalet. We're a couple of hours from there. Let's get a move on." They began to trot in the direction of the farm house.

-------------

Erica sat in a nearby chair, a contemplative expression on her face. Greenlee narrowed her eyes. "Uh oh. You've got that Obi Wan Kenobi look on your face."

Erica blinked and stared at Greenlee. "What look?"

"Obi Wan Kenobi. 'I feel a great disturbance in the force.'" She shrugged. "Leo was a big Star Wars fan. Anyway, it means you look like someone was walking over your grave. What were you thinking about?"

Erica bit her lip. "This strange feeling came over me." She shook her head. "No, not a gravelike or….forcelike feeling." She took a deep breath. "This will sound crazy…"

Greenlee smirked. "Crazier than me quoting a sci-fi movie? Spill, Erica."

Erica began to fidget with her bracelet. "Kendall and Bianca are close by, somewhere. I can feel it. I don't know, maybe Kendall flew to Paris to be with Bianca."

Greenlee's eyes widened. "Or maybe they found out about the chalet and are on their way!"

Erica held up a hand. "Greenlee, I don't want to give you false hope. It's just a feeling. It could just be something I conjured up because I miss them so much."

Greenlee leaned forward. "Don't dismiss it out of hand. Bianca knew somehow that Bess was really Miranda. She felt it. I knew almost immediately when I was carrying Ryan's child, even before I took the pregnancy test." Jack started to cry, so Greenlee stood up and lifted him out of his little drawer. "Maybe your daughters are close by. It's something to hold onto." She glanced at the kitchen doors, swaying back and forth to try and soothe her son. "Greg's been gone a long time. Waiting for him to make his next move is making me crazy."

Erica narrowed her eyes at the door. "I know what you mean. I have an idea I'm mulling over. It's a bit risky, but it might bring things to a head sooner. Let me think about it some more."

Greenlee nodded and sat down. If by some miracle Kendall and Bianca really were coming to the rescue, that probably meant Ryan was with them. After all, Spike was his son too - or so he thought. She wondered how he would deal with finding out that Spike wasn't his son, but lo and behold he did have a child after all. She wished she had gotten over her anger sooner, and moved back to Pine Valley when she found out she was pregnant. She wouldn't be in this mess now. She wouldn't have met Max and had her emotions thrown out of whack thinking about Leo again. Oh Leo! If he were still alive, he would have sensed that she was in danger and come looking for her. She supposed she should be thankful that she was with Erica and Spike – there were people were looking for _them_. But it was the loneliest feeling in the world to realize that no one had a clue she was missing. Not because people didn't care about her, but because she had pushed them all away. Jackson, David, Ryan. Even Kendall. If she ever got out of this mess, she would make sure to change all that. She would make sure that she and Jack were surrounded by family. She had thought that it would be easier on her battered heart if she closed it off to love. No one could hurt her if she didn't allow herself to care. Now she realized that a heart without love simply stopped beating altogether.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Most people would have begun to feel the slightest bit of regret for thinking that La Kane could be captured and subdued. Not Greg. He was quite confident that he could not only keep her with him, but tame the wildcat as well. She would eventually purr in his arms, of that he was thoroughly convinced. For the moment, he would have to concentrate on capturing her again. Though part of him was annoyed at the inconvenience, another part of him was thrilled by the challenge. She was an amazing, formidable woman, which made the prospect of success that much more satisfying.

The last of his staff members left about fifteen minutes ago. It was time to storm the fortress, as it were. Much as he hated to admit it, Erica had been right about his servants. While they were extremely loyal to him, he could not risk the possibility that one of them might have doubts for even a moment. It had happened before, though rarely. Too much was at stake in this situation. The house was now completely empty, save the two women and two children. Greg adjusted the baby monitor on his belt. Even the nanny had been dismissed for the day. He couldn't have her questioning why he would keep his infant son in the same house as two insane women. Fortunately the boy was fast asleep at the moment.

Greg exited the gardener's shed, gripping the axe in his hands. It should work quite well on the kitchen door. He paused when he saw movement near the back of the house. Stealthily, he crept over, using the hedge as cover. As he got closer, he saw a figure sidling along the wall of the house. To his amazement, he noticed the figure had a mane of curly brown hair. Kendall? He moved closer and saw that it was indeed Kendall. He also saw that Bianca was with her. A man he didn't recognize was in the lead. How the hell had they found out about the chalet?

Greg wished now that he had called in some muscle. When it was just Erica and Greenlee, he thought himself perfectly capable of containing the situation. Now there were three more people to contend with. With a sinking feeling, Greg realized it was likely that more were on the way. He was a bit bewildered that Slater and Lavery weren't part of the group. Unless they were on the other side of the house. Greg dismissed that possibility. Slater would never have let Kendall out of his sight in a dangerous situation like this. No, it was more likely that, for whatever reason, these three were acting alone. Greg didn't have much time. He was not yet ready to give up on the notion of having Erica to himself. Failure was not an option.

Greg set the axe down and pulled out his gun. He watched as the unidentified man rounded the corner of the house. Bianca soon slipped out of sight. Greg quietly glided up behind Kendall and snaked his arm around her throat. He put the gun to her head and pulled her around to where the others had gone. He barked out, "Bianca!"

Bianca and the man whipped around, stunned to see that Kendall was now being held hostage. She struggled against him, and he pressed the gun even harder against her ear. She stilled. "I would say it's a pleasure that you could join us, but I don't tend to look kindly on uninvited guests. Dropping in on people is such a rude practice. I thought your mother taught you better than that."

Bianca pursed her lips, her eyes cold. "Where is she?"

"Let's go inside and fetch her, shall we?" Greg nodded towards the service entrance, which came in next to the kitchen. Bianca and the man marched ahead of him and Kendall. Once they were inside and standing next to the kitchen doors, Greg bellowed out, "Erica! Greenlee! We have visitors. Some family members have traveled a long way to see you."

After a moment, Greenlee's muffled voice called out, "You must really think we're stupid to try something like that. What's the matter, can't find anything to break down the door?"

Bianca looked over at Greg. "What the hell is going on?"

Kendall chuckled. "I bet I know what happened. Greenlee and Erica are barricaded behind there and Madden can't get to them. Way to go, mom!"

Greg hissed in her ear, "Shut up!" He watched with interest as the man rushed over to the kitchen door, placing his hands on the wood. "Greenlee? It's Max. I'm here with Bianca and Kendall." Judging by his reaction to hearing Greenlee's voice, he must be the latest man she's enchanted. Perhaps her child wasn't Ryan's after all.

There was a long pause. "Max? _Oh my God_! You came to rescue me! I don't believe it, how did you even know I was missing? Never mind. You said Kendall and Bianca are with you?"

"Yes they are. Madden has a gun to Kendall's head."

Bianca called out. "Mom, are you there? It's Bianca!"

There was another pause. "Erica's indisposed at the moment. If Psycho Doc has a gun to Kendall's head, I guess that means the rescue attempt has failed."

Leo scowled at Madden. "He does have the upper hand. For the moment."

They heard a regretful sigh. "Kendall? I know that Greg is threatening your life, and I really wish I could open the door…" There was a sniffling sound, and then she wailed, "I just had my baby. He's in here with me and… I have to protect him. I have to keep him safe. Please understand."

"Oh God, Greenlee, of course I understand! You do whatever you have to do to protect your child. Is…is Spike in there with you guys?"

Greg pressed the gun against her even harder. "Don't call him that! He's safely up in his nursery, thank heaven. The smartest thing I ever did was keep him away from those two."

Kendall's breath hitched. "I want to go see him!"

"You'll see him only when you've convinced your mother to open that goddamn door."

Bianca went up to the door. "Greenlee, what did you mean when you said that mom was indisposed? What did Greg do to her?" She looked back at Greg to glare at him. A slight widening of her eyes was his only warning of what was to come.

He shoved Kendall to the side and whirled around, barely able to sidestep the cast iron pan that came swinging through the air. Apparently, while he was outside, Erica had gotten out of the kitchen in order to ambush him. She lost her grip on the heavy pan as it came down, and it clattered to the ground.

She lunged at Greg and he backhanded her. The blow was so strong that she crumpled to the ground unconscious. Kendall screamed and rushed for her mom.

The man named Max charged him, and Greg brought the gun up and fired it into his abdomen. He collapsed, and Bianca shrieked, "Leo!!"

The baby monitor started vibrating, and the sounds of a crying baby echoed from the device. Kendall looked up from her mother. "My baby!" She turned to Greg, eyes blazing. "Take me to him, now! The gunshot must have scared him."

At this point, Greg was beyond fed up. He stared at Erica, lying on the ground, and decided in that moment that he was done with her. It was time to collect his son and leave this place. Kendall would make the perfect hostage for his getaway. "Fine. Come with me." He waggled the gun in the direction of the main hall. Kendall squeezed her mother's hand and then leapt to her feet.

----------

Never had Zach been so frustrated with technology in his life. Cell phones were a wonderful thing, but under certain circumstances they weren't worth a damn. Fortunately there had been reception out where he and Ryan were stranded. After they reached the farm house and paid an extremely hefty fee to the farmer for the use of his car, they had been able to call the man named Joe and get directions to the chalet. He also called Kendall, but she was still apparently without reception. He was forced to leave her a voice mail letting her know that he was using Vanessa's phone, and he was on his way. Once they were on the road, the reception crapped out. Later there was a clear patch, and he impatiently checked his voice mail.

There was one from Kendall telling him she got his message and she and Leo and Binks were at the chalet. She said she was turning her phone off because they were going to try and sneak inside and she didn't want any distractions. When Zach heard this, he slammed his fist down on the dashboard.

Ryan, who was driving, looked over at him. "What happened?" Zach relayed the message. "Son of a bitch! What the hell is Leo thinking allowing Kendall and Bianca to go inside with him?"

Zach exhaled. "He's probably too worried about Greenlee to try and argue with two Kane women. There's no way in hell Kendall would patiently wait in the car when her child could be inside."

Ryan shook his head. "Point taken. Well, it's probably going to be another hour before we get there. Hopefully Chris is almost there."

A half an hour later, Vanessa's phone rang. It was Chris. "We've arrived at the chalet. There's a car here, outside the gate. I assume its Bianca's. No sign of them. How far out are you?"

"About 20 more minutes. I got a message from Kendall a half an hour ago saying that the three of them were going to try and sneak inside. She said they were turning their cell phones off so there'd be no distractions."

"He took Kendall and Bianca with him?! Jesus Christ, what the hell is the matter with that boy? You'd think he hasn't learned a goddamn thing in four years. I better not wait for you guys to get here; I need to find out what's happening. I'll have the phone on vibrate. When you arrive, call this number. If I'm able to, I'll answer and give you an update. No sense in both of us going in blind. The better we can coordinate, the less likely we'll mess things up. If I _don't_ answer, that means there's too much going down and you need to approach swiftly but carefully. Don't just charge in, you got that?"

"Got it, Chris. You know I don't have to tell you to do what it takes to keep them safe. I know Tad and Dixie want Madden alive, but…"

"Yeah, I know. I'll do my best to keep my word to Dixie, but it's not going to be top priority."

"Go do what you gotta do. We'll get there as soon as we can." Zach hung up the phone and looked at Ryan. "Can't you get this piece of junk to go any faster?"

-------------

Leo had never felt such excruciating agony. He kept thinking of what people said about gunshot wounds to the stomach being slow, painful deaths. He couldn't die. Not now of all times. Kendall told them earlier that according to one of Zach's messages, Chris Stamp was on his way with David. Leo hoped this was true. If anyone could help him, it would be David. The question was whether he would get there in time. He was losing a lot of blood.

Bianca was a basket case. Her mother was unconscious, Greg just took off with her sister, and her best friend was mortally wounded. She pounded on the door. "Greenlee! Open up! Greg is gone and Leo's been shot. We need something to stop the flow of blood."

He heard the sound of furniture moving from within. The door opened and his beautiful Greenlee stood there. She stared at him, wide-eyed, and then turned to glare at Bianca. "Why did you call him Leo? Don't tell me you believed his lies. This isn't my husband, this is Max Prentice. He's a con artist." The last sentence was said in a squeak.

Bianca sighed and shouldered her way past Greenlee into the kitchen. She came back a moment later with some hand towels. She pressed them against Leo's wound, causing him to groan. He felt himself starting to slip into unconsciousness. He heard Binks saying, "Greenlee, it really is Leo. I know this is hard to take in, but it really is him."

Something within him, something that was afraid he was going to die for real this time, made him shake his head in denial. "No, she's right. I'm not her husband. That man died a long time ago." He looked at Greenlee with pain-glazed eyes. "I'm so sorry for trying to resurrect Leo. I should never have made you mourn his death all over again."

Bianca squeezed her eyes shut. "Just stop it! Both of you. No more lies, no more denials. I can't deal with this crap! You're Leo – end of story!" She opened her eyes and sighed. "Where the hell are Chris and David?"

Greenlee tore her eyes away from Leo. "David Hayward? He's coming? Who's Chris?"

Bianca swiped a tendril of hair from her eyes, glancing with concern at her mother, who hadn't moved. "Chris Stamp. He's not really dead, Greenlee. In fact, he's the one who saved Leo and Vanessa from the falls and made them fake their deaths."

Greenlee stared at her in incredulity. "_What_? That's insane! Is this another lie that Max told you?"

They heard sounds from the main hall. Bianca called out, "Hello? We need help, a man's been shot!"

Footsteps approached and two men rounded the corner. Leo looked up and saw his brother for the first time in four years. David stared at him. Frowning slightly, he whispered, "Leo?" Leo nodded slightly, and then winced in pain. David rushed over, falling to his knees next to his brother. "What happened?"

Bianca sighed in relief. "Madden shot him in the stomach."

Greenlee stood frozen, watching David examining Max's wound. Why did David think he was Leo, too? What had Max been up to since she last saw him? She wondered if she should even care about his lies. The fact that he had been looking for her and found her was monumental.

She heard a voice exclaim, "Erica, no!" Greenlee shifted her gaze and was flabbergasted to see Chris Stamp, alive and well, staring down at Erica's unconscious form.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

When Chris saw Erica lying on the ground, her eyes closed, he was filled with dread. He sprinted over and knelt down next to her. "Jesus! Please tell me she isn't dead. Oh God!"

Bianca blinked when she saw him, then quickly recovered. "She's just unconscious. Greg hit her, and then shot Leo."

Chris looked over at David tending to Leo, then up and saw Greenlee standing there. She put her hand to her mouth as she gaped back at him. Weakly, she whispered, "I see dead people."

Chris gently brought Erica's head up and cradled it on his lap. "Erica? Talk to me, babe. Open your eyes." She started to groan, and her lashes fluttered. It took her a moment to focus on Chris's face. When she comprehended who she was looking at, she recoiled in horror and wailed, "No, I'm not ready to die! You're not taking me with you!"

Chris grasped her shoulders and made a gentle shushing sound. "No, sweetheart. You're still in the land of the living. I just neglected to tell you that I was, too."

She frowned at him. "What?"

"I didn't die when that bum shot me. I just let everyone think so."

"You faked your death? But why?" She held her hand to her head. "Wait a minute, never mind about that. Where's Madden?" She looked around. "Where's Kendall? He was threatening her…"

Bianca came over and took her mom's hand. She nodded back towards the main hall. "He took her up to see Spike."

Erica's eyes widened. "He's getting his son so he can escape again. He's going to use Kendall as a hostage." She staggered to her feet and started towards the main hall. "We have to stop him!"

Chris grabbed her arm. "You're in no condition to go gunning after Madden. I'll go – just tell me where I can find him."

Erica's shoulders slumped and she threw herself into his arms, hugging him. "Oh Chris, you don't know how happy I am to see you. We were so scared."

Chris held her tightly for a moment, then felt the vibrating of his cell phone. "I need to take this call, babe. It's probably Slater and Lavery."

She nodded and pulled away. He answered the phone. "This is Stamp."

"It's Zach. We're at the gates to the chalet. What's happening?"

"First of all you need to call the cops and an ambulance. Leo's been shot in the stomach. Madden's somewhere with Kendall and Spike. I'm about to go after them. Keep your eyes peeled when you approach the house, in case he tries to escape."

Chris heard a deep intake of breath on the other end. Obviously struggling for control, Zach replied, "You find him, Sam. Get Kendall and the baby away from him." Zach was so upset that he had reverted to Chris's former name.

"Will do. Tell the ambulance to come in the entrance on the east side, then get your asses down here. Over and out." Chris ended the call and turned to speak to Erica. She wasn't there. Goddamn it! He reached for his piece, and realized that it was missing. She must have slipped it out of his holster when they were hugging. He looked over at Greenlee. "Do you know where Spike's nursery is?"

She shook her head. "It's on the second floor, but that's all I know for sure. I think maybe it was the wing opposite ours. Umm…uh…a left at the top of the staircase." He gave her a short nod and then ran in the direction of the front hall, hoping he would find the right room quickly.

-------------

With shaky fingers, Zach dialed the emergency number. He wanted badly to take off running in the direction of the chalet, but he knew every minute counted when it came to a gunshot wound. He had to trust that Sam would make headway in finding Madden and Kendall in the time it would take to make sure help was on its way.

Ryan stared at him. "What's going on, man?"

"Leo's been shot. Sam told me to call an ambulance."

Ryan shook his head. "No. You look worse than you did when Kendall was in the coma. What happened to her? What about Spike?"

Zach barked. "They're fine for now! Hello? Do you speak English? Perfect. We have an emergency. A lunatic has taken hostages – women and children. A man has been shot in the stomach. We need help immediately. " He gave the address of the chalet. "If you have a helicopter, bring it. There's plenty of space to land, and if he tries to escape, you'd be able to spot him." He answered a few more questions, then hung up the phone and looked over at Ryan. "Madden has Kendall and Spike, and Chris went to find them. Other than Leo being shot, I have no idea what else happened. No mention of Greenlee or Erica."

Ryan grabbed his arm. "I have to assume that they're okay, if he didn't say anything."

Zach went back to the car. "I think at this point we can dispense with stealth. The car will be faster. As for Greenlee and Erica, maybe Chris hasn't run into them yet." Ryan was barely able to slide into the passenger seat before Zach peeled off down the driveway. "You should go find Greenlee and Erica, and I'll search for Madden and Kendall."

"No, man, if Madden has her and Spike, I want to help out. Make sure she's safe."

"I understand, but what if Greenlee's in danger? She's almost due to have her baby…_your_ baby. With everything that's happened to her, she could easily give birth prematurely. I think your first duty is to make sure she's okay."

Ryan rubbed his forehead. "Wow, I guess you're right. I've spent so many months focused on Kendall and Spike, and trying to be there for them, that…it's kind of hard to switch priorities."

"I know, I know. Too many paradigm shifts. I don't envy you. But you gotta know that I'll take care of Kendall and Spike."

"After what you did for them when she was in the coma, I'm more than sure they'll be fine."

------------------------

Greg shoved Kendall into the nursery. She stumbled, but quickly caught her balance. She almost stopped breathing when she saw her son in the crib, screaming at top volume. Considering how fragile he'd seemed in the neonatal unit, she was overjoyed that he apparently had a healthy set of lungs. Kane lungs, judging by the furious tone in his cry. She rushed over and gently picked him up. Her world felt right again as she cuddled him to her and whispered soothing words to him. In no time at all he quieted down.

Kendall looked over at Greg, who was regarding them with a maniacal gleam in his eyes. "Spike is your son, isn't he? You used your sperm to impregnate me."

Madden gripped his gun, his expression turning sour. "I told you not to call him that! His name is Gregory Junior. Sometimes I don't understand how you could possibly be the offspring of someone as refined and elegant as Erica Kane. You must have gotten your more barbaric traits from your rapist father."

Kendall felt like she had been punched in the gut, but she quickly reminded herself who was speaking to her. "Barbaric? You have no room to talk when you've lied to and manipulated hundreds of women! You talk about my rapist father when you've violated my body _and_ my mother's body? You're a total freak, Doctor Madden – completely subhuman. You may be my son's father, but I know he will rise above his paternity the same way I did."

Greg advanced on her, the menace on his face almost making her back up. She stood her ground. He sneered at her. "My son will rise above us all, on that we agree. With my genes added to the Kane genes, he will turn out even better than my other son. Joshua is a phenomenal young man, but he's held back by the Martin side of him. Brilliant people, but they have this nonsensical focus on duty and ethics, which has no place when it comes to the advancement of medicine. None of the advantages we have today would exist if scientists did everything by the book." The gleam came back into his eyes. "Our son will become a doctor, and surpass even myself with his discoveries. He'll think outside the box. He won't follow the rules. That's one thing you share with your lovely mother, Kendall – the Kane trait I look forward to cultivating. You stop at nothing to get what you want. When you suggested using your own egg because Greenlee's didn't survive, I was overcome with pride."

"I'll just bet you were overcome. When you left the room to prepare for the insemination, you really went to go jack off in a cup."

Greg looked at her in distaste. "You need to tone down the crudeness. I want my son to have a mother in his life, but not one that will be a poor influence. You mind your p's and q's young lady."

Kendall looked around the room, hoping to see something she could use as a weapon. Considering that the room was thoroughly child-proofed, she wasn't having any luck. She bit her lip as she saw something that might work. "I think he's crying because his diaper needs changing." She went over to changing table and gently sat him down on the pad. She started to unbutton his sleeper. "Okay, I never got to bring him home from the hospital," She gave him a pointed glare, "so I don't have much practice with this. What do I do first?"

Greg gave a disgusted sigh and gestured towards a box next to the pad. "There are wipes in there to clean him thoroughly of any residue." She reached for the box, and accidentally on purpose knocked it to the ground. It tumbled to a stop a few feet away. He sighed again, and bent over to pick it up. Kendall grabbed the large object on the floor that she had been told was called a "diaper genie" and swung it around, slamming him over the head with it. He lost his balance and collapsed to the ground.

Kendall quickly scooped up Spike and started for the door of the nursery. She had just made it into the hallway when Madden grabbed her by the hair, yanking her to a stop. "You really are a stupid and reckless woman, Kendall. Completely unfit to raise my child. Now you are going to march back into that nursery and put him down in his crib."

A voice from behind them declared, "On the contrary, Greg, my daughter will never have to let go of her son ever again." They turned and saw Erica standing there. She pointed a gun at Madden. "You're the one that needs to be put down. My poison didn't kill you, but I'm betting this bullet will."

Greg held up his own gun and put it to Kendall's temple. "Any bets on what this bullet will do to Kendall?"

Greg's arm was suddenly wrenched upward, and the movement caused him to pull the trigger, firing a shot into the ceiling. Kendall turned her head and saw Zach standing there. He snarled at Greg, "All bets are off."

Spike started crying again, alarmed by the gunshot blast. In his surprise, Greg let go of Kendall and she dashed forward and stood next to her mom. Erica positioned herself in front of Kendall and the baby. Greg tried to bring his gun down to point it at Zach. They grappled for a few moments, and it looked as if Greg was getting the upper hand. As he was inching the barrel of the gun towards Zach's face, Kendall started moaning, "No, no, please…"

Erica glanced back at her distressed daughter, then back at the struggling pair. Resolutely she stepped forward and raised her pistol. In their battle for Greg's gun, neither of the men noticed her approach. Zach shifted, and for a split second Greg's body was exposed. Erica squeezed the trigger and hit her target perfectly. His eyes wide and round with shock, Madden stopped struggling and looked down at the hole in his chest. Zach stepped back, and watched as Greg stumbled for a bit, then crashed to the ground and was still.

Zach staggered over to Greg and bent down to take his pulse. After a moment, he straightened up. "He's dead."

Kendall tried to soothe Spike, who was completely hysterical after the third gunshot. Zach stood and reached her in two strides. He enveloped Kendall in a bear hug, making sure not to crush Spike. "Thank God you're okay."

They heard Erica's name bellowed from down the hall. Everyone turned and saw Chris running towards them. He came to a stop, breathing heavily. "I ended up down the wrong hallway." He glanced over and saw Greg lying on the ground, blood pooling out from under him. "Dead?"

Zach nodded. "Finally."

Chris nodded, also. "Good work. You saved their lives."

Zach smirked. "I wasn't the one that shot him. That was the work of Mama Kane."

Erica smiled faintly, relief palpable on her lovely features. She brought a shaky hand up to her forehead, and then began to slide to the ground. Chris quickly scooped her up in his arms as exhaustion finally claimed her.


	23. Chapter 23

Author's note: I'm so sorry for the extremely long delay. I've had a lot of things going on in my life recently - mostly good stuff, just time and brain consuming. Then there's the fact that I've experienced complete burnout with my writing. I won't be writing any more fanfic after this. It was my intention to finish this last fall and then start on my novel, but with my life getting complicated and the encroaching burnout, it all got dragged out for far too long. It may be awhile before I get to that novel. Anyway, there's only three chapters left. I've written them already, I just want to have a buffer of a few days between each. I always planned to have 25 chapters, with everything happening as outlined in the beginning – nothing changed or got cut short because of the burnout. Anyway, enough blathering from me - on to the show.

Chapter 23

Greenlee mechanically assisted David and Bianca as they tried to keep Leo alive until the ambulance came. Leo… Leo... It really was him. When she'd seen Chris, alive, she'd been unable to deny it to herself anymore. But why? Why had Leo faked his death? Why had he stayed away from her for four years? She suspected it had something to do with Vanessa also being alive. She shuddered inwardly as she recalled meeting the woman who called herself Sophie, but who was in fact her worst enemy. She wondered where Vanessa was at the moment. Hopefully nowhere nearby. One psycho at a time, please.

She snapped out of her reverie when she heard Jack crying. David looked up. "Go attend to your baby, Greenlee. We've got things covered for the moment."

Greenlee gazed into the drooping, pain-filled eyes of her husband – the only part of his face that wasn't permanently changed. Swallowing hard, she got to her feet and went into the kitchen to get her son. She scooped him into her arms and checked his diaper. Then she remembered that it had been awhile since he'd eaten. "Are you hungry, my sweet? That's easy enough to take care of." She sat down and shifted her robe slightly so that he could latch on to her breast. She made sure that she could still see Leo through the open doorway.

After a moment she heard the door leading to the outside of the house open. A voice called out, "David! Bianca!" It was Ryan. Footsteps sounded and then he came into view, his back to her. "Leo?" Bianca looked up and nodded. Ryan let out a breath. "Zach called the ambulance and the cops. They're on their way, and they'll come directly to this door. Have any of you seen Greenlee and Erica?"

Bianca looked up again. "Erica took off to find Kendall, and Chris went after her. Greenlee's in there with her baby." She pointed towards the kitchen.

"Her _baby_?" Ryan whirled around and spotted Greenlee nursing their child. She watched his face turn from surprise to relief to tenderness. He slowly walked towards her, the man she fell in love with when she thought there was nothing left in her heart to feel. Tears started to roll down her cheeks, and as he knelt down beside her and caressed her cheek with the back of his hand, she started to sob. The heaving of her chest disturbed little Jack, and he pulled away, starting to whimper. Ryan sat down and gathered her to him, stroking her hair. "Shh…shhh…it'll be alright, Greenlee. You're safe. You and the baby are safe."

She drew a shuddering breath. "What about Leo? Is he going to die? Am I going to lose him again?"

Ryan shook his head. "Are you kidding me? David will beat the crap out of the angel of death before he lets that happen. He'll be fine, Greenlee."

She grimaced. "Promise me, Ryan."

"I promise."

Bianca handed David another towel and then looked down at Leo. He was gazing into the kitchen. She glanced over and saw Ryan with his arm around Greenlee, stroking the baby's head with his fingers. She looked down at Leo again and sighed softly. She leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. Then she whispered in his ear, "Don't for a minute think that just because Ryan is here to take care of Greenlee, that gives you permission to die. She still needs you. I still need you. Your brother most of all – he's all alone in the world." David's only acknowledgement of her words was a fiercer scowl.

Leo rolled his eyes. "I'm bleeding to death…and you still browbeat me…"

Bianca chuckled, and then gasped when she heard what sounded like a gunshot from upstairs. She looked towards the main hall, her mouth agape. She looked back at David, whose concentration was solely on stopping the bleeding. She turned to the kitchen and saw Ryan frowning back at her, as if he too had heard the noise. Another gunshot rang out. Bianca leapt to her feet. David frowned up at her. "Bianca, I need you to keep holding the towel in place." Reluctantly, she kneeled back down, but she looked pleadingly at Ryan. He nodded and eased to his feet. As he was coming out the door, they heard Chris shouting Erica's name. Ryan headed towards the main hall.

Bianca said a prayer for her family. Kendall, Erica and Spike – any one of them could be hurt or worse. She swiped at the tears starting to roll down her cheeks, her nerves stretched to the breaking point. Just when she felt like she would start screaming to cut the tension, she heard the sound of a helicopter getting closer. Then Ryan came back down the hallway. "They're okay, Bianca. Erica shot Madden and then she fainted. Chris is bringing her down the stairs. Kendall and Spike are just fine. Madden is dead."

Bianca half laughed, half cried in relief. She looked down at Leo. "See? This could be a completely happy ending if you just hold on." She heard another noise, a faint sound that slowly got louder. It was a helicopter. She smiled beatifically. "Help is on the way!"

Chris came into the hallway and gently laid Erica down. "Make sure the paramedics examine her, too, and send one up to look at Spike. He should be fine, but his little ears had to deal with gunshot blasts at close range. I'm going to go meet the cops and take them to Madden."

----------------

Kendall sat next to Zach, her head cradled against Zach's shoulder. They had just gotten through sharing their recent adventures with each other. He murmured, "I need to watch Madden's body until Chris gets back with the cops, but if you want to take Spike downstairs, go ahead."

She shook her head. "I'm not leaving your side ever again. Hopping on that airplane without you and everything that followed – it was so awful. I had Bianca and Leo with me, but I was scared to death. I wanted your reassuring touch more than anything." She sighed. "I also felt guilty for making you worry about me. I'm so sorry."

Zach rubbed his hand up and down her arm. "It drives me crazy when you take risks, but it's also one of the things I love about you. Your strength, your fierce determination. You did a wonderful job finding Spike. Timing is everything, it seems. If it weren't for you and Bianca and Leo, Madden might have gotten to Erica and Greenlee. As furious as he was, who knows what he might have done to them before anyone got here."

Kendall shuddered, and Zach pulled her closer. She whispered, "You and Ryan were almost killed by Vanessa. As if one freak on the loose weren't bad enough." She squeezed his hand. "If Chris and David hadn't stumbled across your cell phones…."

Zach chuckled. "When it came down to the wire, Stamp pulled a few rabbits out his hat."

"As well he should, since he started this whole mess in the first place."

Zach stared at Madden's still form. "Chris dug up Madden to get answers about Dixie's daughter. His actions were noble…but ultimately a failure." He was silent for a moment. "Dixie called earlier – the little girl that Madden told them about was another false lead. She wanted us to make sure that he stayed alive so he could be questioned again." He sighed.

Kendall bit her lip. "Oh God, that means she'll never know about Kate."

"You know what, though, it's possible he has a vault here, similar to the one he had on that island of his. I can't believe the information wouldn't be written down _somewhere_. I'll get somebody to search this place. In fact, I should get in touch with Tad and Dixie to let them know what's going on. But first I'll call Jackson. I'm sure he'll want to know that everyone is okay."

Zach made the two phone calls, and all three thanked him and made plans to book flights to France. He tucked the phone back in his pocket, and leaned down to tenderly kiss Spike's little head. Then he gently grasped Kendall's chin and lifted her face to kiss her.

They were interrupted by the arrival of Chris and the police. He smirked at them. "Okay, you two kids can go downstairs and get Spike checked out. We'll take it from here."

One of the cops held up his hand. "Do not leave the grounds until you have been questioned."

Zach and Kendall nodded their heads, then wearily made their way down the stairs. When they entered the hallway to the kitchen, they saw Leo being carefully lifted onto a gurney. Kendall approached one of the paramedics. "I'm worried about my baby's ears. He was exposed to gunshots at close range."

The paramedic spoke in a French accent. "An ambulance has just arrived – they will examine the child. If his ears are damaged, it would not be good for him to ride with us in the helicopter."

Kendall tilted her head. "Ya think?"

Zach hid a smile and steered her away from the harried paramedic. He paused when he saw Leo….Max as he had last known him. Leo's eyes shifted and met his. "Zach Slater," he croaked.

Greenlee was standing nearby with Ryan, who was holding a baby in his arms. She frowned at Zach. "How does he know you?"

Zach cleared his throat. "I used to do some work for Chris Stamp. I was the one who prepared Leo and Vanessa for their new identities. When they came to me, they already had their new faces, and I had no idea who they were before."

Greenlee walked up to Zach. "You mean to tell me that you helped Leo fake his death? Just like you helped Ryan fake his death?"

Zach gave her a pained look. His voice rough, he replied, "Yes."

She launched herself at him and started beating his chest with her fists. "You son of a bitch! How could you do such a thing?"

Zach grabbed her wrists to stop her blows. Kendall glared at her. "You think this is Zach's fault? He only helped them after they already made their decision to leave."

Greenlee's face crumpled, and her shoulders sagged. Zach let go of her wrists, and she lowered her head to her hands, crying. Kendall regretted her outburst and handed Spike to Zach. She pulled Greenlee into a hug. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Greenlee wailed, "What's wrong with me? What did I do to drive both Leo and Ryan away?"

Kendall rubbed her back. "No, no, no, Greenlee. You didn't drive them away. They loved you so much that they didn't want to see you hurt. Like typical chauvinistic men, they decided they knew what was best for you. Their intentions were honorable, even if their choices were stupid."

Zach looked over at Leo again, who was being wheeled out the door to the helicopter, David by his side. Leo was gazing at Greenlee as she sobbed on Kendall's shoulder. The expression on his face mirrored the one from four years ago, the one that had haunted Zach. He took a deep breath and then went over to where Ryan was standing. Ryan shifted the baby to his left arm and held out a hand to touch Spike's little fist. "I heard Kendall say his ears might be hurting. I hope he's okay."

Zach's tone was gravelly. "I think he'll be fine." He nodded at the bundle in Ryan's arm. "Is it a boy or a girl?"

Ryan looked down. "It's a boy. Greenlee named him Jackson."

Zach smiled wearily. "His grandfather will be ecstatic. I called him earlier to tell him everyone was okay." He looked down at Spike and then looked over at Jackson. His voice cracking, he said, "Do you think we can teach these two boys not be control freaks like their dads?"

Ryan chuckled. "Considering who their moms are, I don't think they'll be content until they've taken over the world. Hopefully they'll do it together."

Zach smirked. "You mean not compete with each other? Riiiight."

Ryan shook his head. "Okay, let's shoot for them at least being the good guys."

Zach nodded. "The good guys. I think that's doable."

Bianca, who had just walked up, put her hands on their shoulders. "If nothing else, you can bet that Miranda will keep them in line."

Zach burst out laughing. "Being lorded over by a Kane woman? Oh, I'll take that one to the bank."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Kendall gently opened the door to Greenlee's hospital room and poked her head in. Greenlee appeared to be sleeping. Kendall quietly slipped into the room and sat down in the chair next to the bed. She gazed at her former friend's face. Greenlee should have looked peaceful in her slumber, but she didn't. Frown lines marred her forehead. Kendall looked down to see her hands curled into fists. Kendall softly stroked her fingers over Greenlee's fist, hoping to give her a tiny bit of comfort. Greenlee's eyes flew open. "Leo!" She blinked for a moment, trying to focus her eyes. "Kendall?"

Kendall put her other hand on Greenlee's shoulder. "Leo's still alive, Greenlee. He just got out of surgery, and the doctors are optimistic."

Greenlee squeezed her eyes shut. "My baby?"

"Jackson's in the nursery, having a spit-up contest with Spike. His namesake's plane will be landing soon. Grandpa is very eager to see the two of you."

Tears streamed down Greenlee's face. "It'll be very good to see him, too."

"In case you were wondering about your own health, the doctor gave you a clean bill. I suppose if you had to give birth in a hostage situation, it's good that your captor is a brilliant obstetrician. _Was_ a brilliant obstetrician."

Greenlee gazed intently at her. "Kendall, are you absolutely, positively, 100 sure that he's dead? I mean, considering all the resurrections happening lately…"

Kendall patted Greenlee's hand. "Mom got him at close range. He had a pretty damn big hole in his chest." Greenlee sighed. "You've been through a lot. I should let you sleep some more."

Kendall started to stand up, but Greenlee grabbed her hand. "You've been through a lot, too."

Sensing that she wanted to talk, Kendall sat down again. "When I discovered Spike was missing…that was the worst moment of my life."

Greenlee nodded. "I wasn't just talking about that. Your coma... When I read about it in the paper, I wanted so badly to come back to Pine Valley. I was so scared for you." She looked down. "But I was still so angry. I let my pride keep me away." She looked up at Kendall again. "I'm so sorry, Kendall. I'm sorry that I refused to understand why you did what you did. I'm sorry that I left you and I'm _really_ sorry I sicced Babe on you."

Kendall laughed in spite of herself. "Greenlee, I understand why you left. It really hurt at the time, but I do understand. Last year was a nightmare for you. All you wanted to do was start a family with Ryan, and it fell to pieces. I really don't blame you for wanting to escape all that drama."

Greenlee rolled her eyes. "A lot of good it did me. I managed to find plenty of drama in Paris."

"No kidding. I guess Paris is Pine Valley's sister city."

The door opened and Zach's head appeared. "I've been looking all over for you. Erica's awake and wants to see her girls."

Kendall stood up and gave him a kiss. "You were the one that went missing, or else I would have told you where I was headed."

Zach shrugged. "I called Dixie to let her know about finding that vault in Madden's chalet. I've got some men trying to open it now. I've sent a couple of cars to the airport for when their plane lands. Jackson will be brought here, and Tad and Dixie will go straight to the chalet."

Kendall squeezed his hand. "I hope they find Kate's identity."

Zach nodded and then looked down at Greenlee. "Your son is beautiful. Ryan's been down at the nursery the whole time. He can't stop staring at him. That reminds me, I owe him some money. We had a bet over who could fill his diaper quicker after meal time, and Jackson won."

Kendall rolled her eyes. "Takes after his daddy. Ryan was always full of shit." She gave Greenlee a sheepish expression.

Greenlee contemplated her for a moment. "It was because of my scheme to have Ryan's baby that you ended up being violated by that monster. I'm so, so sorry."

Kendall sighed. "Greenlee, I don't regret Spike at all. Not for a moment. There were some bumpy moments, but now he is the most precious part of my life." She looked up at Zach. "Zach helped me to see that."

Greenlee shifted her gaze to Zach. "I'm sorry I went off on you earlier. It's not your fault Leo left me."

Zach frowned. "What's with all the apologies? Are you in some sort of twelve step program?"

Greenlee smiled weakly. "Yeah. Bitches Anonymous."

Kendall laughed. "Where do I sign up?"

Greenlee's smile faded, and she looked depressed again. "Zach. Would you do me a favor? Could you tell me about Leo? I want to know more about what happened after his death was faked."

Zach nodded and sat down. Kendall went to the door. "I better go see mother before she gets too worried."

---------------

Erica impatiently thumbed through a fashion magazine. Where were her girls? She sent people out to look for them ages ago. The hospital wasn't that big! And Maggie should be on her way with Miranda, although Erica was a bit confused by Maggie's hesitation when she called up earlier to ask her to bring her grandchild. Maggie had always been awkward with her, but she seemed more strange than usual. Erica had a finely tuned radar for guilty consciences (especially in enemies – all the better to exploit them), and her alarm bells were going off. This could only mean that Bianca was in for some hurt. She closed her magazine and sighed.

She heard a voice from the doorway. "When you sigh like that, it usually means that someone's head is about to roll. I hope it isn't mine."

She looked up and saw Chris Stamp standing there. She tossed her hair. "That depends on what you have to say for yourself. I can't believe you faked your death, making Jackson and I feel horribly guilty for the way we treated you. I'm sure that's why you did it, to get revenge on us."

Chris shook his head and sat down in the chair next to the bed. "There's a lot about me you don't know, Erica. It may have seemed like my life revolved around you, but it didn't. I faked my death because that's what I usually do when it's time to move on. In this case it was way, way past time. I stayed much longer than I should have because I couldn't leave you - even after you cheated with Jack. When that asshole shot me, it was a wake-up call. It was either take off, or destroy even more lives."

Erica assessed him. "I know there's a great deal that you're not telling me, but I'm more interested in why you're here _now_. How did you get involved in the attempt to rescue me?"

Chris rested his elbows on his knees, put his palms together and propped his chin on top. "It was my fault you were kidnapped in the first place."

Erica's eyebrows shot up. Chris dropped his hands and leaned back in his chair. Of all the people he didn't relish confessing to, it was Erica. She would surely hate him with all the passion contained in her gorgeous little body. And every bit of it would be completely deserved.

-------------------------

Bianca was walking briskly down the hall to Erica's room when Lena suddenly appeared from the intersecting corridor. Gasping, Lena put her arms around her. "Thank God you are okay! What happened at that chalet has been the big story on the news. Much was said about Erica, but I couldn't find anything about you. I had to come and see if you were alright." Lena pulled back, resting her hand on Bianca's shoulder. "The reporters said that an unidentified man was shot. Was that Leo?"

Bianca's face crumpled, and she nodded. "It was so awful. I thought we were going to lose him. If David hadn't been there… If the helicopter hadn't come when it did… He would be gone for real this time."

Lena hugged her again. "So he's going to be okay?" Bianca nodded into her shoulder. "How is everyone else? Greenlee and Kendall's baby?"

"They're fine. I'm on my way to see my mother now. Want to come with me?"

Lena smiled ruefully. "I doubt she would want to see me. I represent too much that is negative to her."

A voice piped up, sarcastically, "I wonder why that would be?" They turned to see Maggie standing there, her expression peeved. Miranda was next to her, holding her hand.

Lena put her hand to her mouth. "Oh my goodness. Is this Miranda? Oh Bianca, she is beautiful. She looks just like you."

Bianca grinned and stooped down, her arms wide. "Oh my baby girl! I missed you!" She hugged her daughter tight. "I'm on my way to see Grandma and Auntie Kendall. You want to see Grandma?" Miranda nodded her head enthusiastically. Bianca laughed and stood. "She probably thinks Grandma will have presents for her."

Maggie smirked. "Knowing Erica, I bet she arranged for some to be delivered to her hospital bed."

Lena cleared her throat. "I should be leaving. I cancelled my flight yesterday because I wanted to be close by in case something happened. Now that I know you are fine, I must get back to London."

She turned to go, and Bianca grabbed her arm. "Lena, you mentioned before that you weren't happy with your job there. One of my senior staff just retired. It's a position that would be perfect for you. I hope you'll submit your resume. I think you would love living in Paris."

Maggie looked at Bianca in surprise, then narrowed her eyes. "That's a great idea. After all, she's already worked for Cambias once before. Remember? She was hired by Michael."

Bianca gave her a warning look. Lena backed away. "That is a very generous offer, Bianca. I... I'll consider it. Goodbye Bianca. Maggie." She gave Miranda a warm smile, then she turned and walked away.

-----------

Ryan rounded the corner and saw David pacing back and forth in front of the ICU. "How's Leo?"

David shook his head in disgust. "According to the surgeon, he's doing well, but how the hell am I supposed to determine that for myself if they won't let me in there to see him? I'm his brother! I'm an MD for chrissake! I'm not going to do anything stupid to jeopardize his recovery. I just want to see him!"

Ryan held up his hands. "You need to calm down, David. Just give it a little time; they'll let you in there."

David glared at him. "If it was your little twerp of a brother in there, would you be so calm?"

Ryan remembered when Jonathan came out of brain surgery last year. Smiling ruefully, he offered, "Well, since you're a doctor, I don't think they'd give you the same bullshit line they'd give anyone else. He's probably doing as well as they say he is. Why don't we go get some coffee? Maybe since this is France, the hospital stuff won't be so bad."

David narrowed his eyes. "Why would you want to have coffee with me?"

Ryan chuckled at his suspicion. "Look man, Leo was… _is_ my friend. If we have nothing else in common, we both care about him. I'm just trying to get your mind off Leo's recovery for a little while."

David's expression darkened. "Some friend you were to Leo. You didn't come to his funeral. Then when you did stroll back into town to rub the Cambias fortune in our faces, you moved in on Greenlee, making her life miserable. That baby down in the nursery should be Leo's baby. Hell, it should be their second or third one. They'd have a whole house full of kids if it weren't for… if it weren't for…" David turned away, clenching his fists. After a moment, he turned back and gazed intently at Ryan. "If you want to help me get my mind of Leo's recovery, there's something else you can do for me."

Ryan looked at him warily. "What would that be?"

"I want to hire a private detective to find my mother. You and Slater can describe my mother's new face to a sketch artist and make a statement about the car she was driving when she took off. Maybe Slater can get Chris Stamp to give up some information. Vanessa needs to pay for what she did to Leo."

Ryan shook his head. "I don't know if that's a good idea. She's out of your lives, David. She made it pretty clear that all she wanted to do was disappear. She'll never bother you again."

David pointed at the ground. "I'm supposed to be content with my mother lounging on a tropical beach somewhere when she should be rotting in hell? No way. Besides, if you think Vanessa would be able to stay out of our lives for good, you're an even bigger idiot than I thought. She may not come to Pine Valley herself, but she's capable of pulling strings from wherever she is. As long as she's alive, she will always find a way to make her boys miserable. Mark my words. There's only one way that this can end." David turned and walked down the corridor.

Ryan gazed after him and sighed. "Yeah. Not well."


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Greenlee stared down at Leo, who was sleeping peacefully. Just a couple of days ago she thought he was a stranger named Max. A stranger that she had felt drawn to. In hindsight she realized she knew all along that he was her lost husband. Every time the truth was thrust into her lap she had shoved it away, unable to deal with the implications. She, Greenlee, was once again faced with a husband who had abandoned her. Pretended to be dead. That something so freaky, so fantastical could happen to her _twice_…

It was all so stupid, really. Ryan faked his death because he couldn't deal with the idea of being a parent. He thought he would transform into a monster. In the end he became a father anyway, and was bursting with pride and anticipation. If only she had gotten such a reaction from him a year ago.

Greenlee sighed. David said Leo faked his death because Vanessa threatened to come after her if he didn't go along with Chris's proposal. Well, Leo might have removed the immediate danger that Vanessa posed, but that didn't mean she'd remained safe and protected ever after. There was that stupid cave she fell into, then Jonathan poisoning her so that she almost took a swan dive off a building. When that didn't work, he held her at gunpoint in yet another cave. Then there were her most recent travails with Psycho Doc.

So what did it all come to in the end? Her heart had been crushed twice and she didn't even get the cold comfort of it being for the greater good. At least, that was what Cynical Greenlee would say – the same Greenlee that had taken more than enough and walked out eight months ago, planning to never look back. What a lonely, desolate Greenlee that had been. She wrapped her arms around herself, shivering at what she had almost become. "Are you cold?"

Startled, Greenlee looked up and saw that Leo's eyes were open. She instantly relaxed. The face was still unfamiliar, but those eyes…those eyes were pure Leo. "Never mind me, I'm fine. How are you? Are you comfortable? In pain?"

A smile teased his lips. "I've never felt better in my life." Greenlee felt goose bumps as she realized that the smile was pure Leo, too. How had she missed that before?

She sighed and leaned forward, resting her cheek against his hand. "The doctor says you're going to make a full recovery." She raised her eyebrows. "As long as you don't do something stupid."

He chuckled slightly, then winced. "So I got about a 50/50 chance." She balled her fist and shook it threateningly at him. He quickly changed the subject. "How's your baby?"

She lowered her fist, a beautiful smile lighting her face. "He's magnificent. Right now he's taking a nap in grandpa's arms. "

Leo shook his head. "It's still hard to believe that Jackson Montgomery is your father. I remember when I read about Erica Kane's wedding crashed by the groom's long lost daughter - one Greenlee Smythe."

Greenlee smiled sheepishly. "I guess it hasn't been too hard to keep up with what's going on with me. I always seem to make headlines." She bit her lip. "Where were you when you read about that particular scandal?"

Leo's eyes filled with sadness. "I was in Tokyo. Vanessa was romancing a Japanese businessman that was creating nasty viruses in a lab. My job was to flirt with the man's wife, who was very bored and full of interesting information."

"Did you get the goods on him?"

He nodded. "We found his lab and destroyed everything. Chris ended up shooting him when he went after Vanessa with a knife."

Greenlee shook her head. "Chris saved her life? He really does have poor judgment." She reached out and fingered a lock of his hair. "So all this time you were out there making the world a better place."

He gazed at her. "It didn't feel like a better place. Not without you beside me." Her eyes filled with tears. He reached out and touched one of the drops cascading onto her cheek. "I'm so sorry I hurt you, Greenlee. I realize now that it was a horrible mistake. At the time I was so terrified that Vanessa would get to you."

She put her hand over his, pressing it to her cheek. "I know, Leo. Believe me, I know all about good intentions and the path to hell."

They stared at each other for a few moments, then Leo cleared his throat. "So, now that I'm retiring from the spy business, do you think Bianca would give me a job at Cambias?"

Greenlee raised her eyebrows. "Bianca would do anything for you, and you know it. But really, it's Ryan that you need to ask because he runs the Pine Valley office. I'm sure he'd be more than happy to give you a job there."

Leo shook his head. "No, Bianca's the right person to go to for the Paris branch."

Greenlee sat back, frowning. "You're staying in Paris?"

"Isn't that for the best? I've hurt you enough, Greenlee. Besides, I don't know if I can watch from the sidelines while you and Ryan raise your son."

Greenlee dropped his hand and stood up, taking a step back. "I don't believe this. Are you really that much of a coward?"

Leo blinked. "Coward? What are you talking about? I'm trying to be noble."

Greenlee looked skyward. "Noble? You think it's noble to run away from a challenge? Sure, it would be unconventional, but even Zach Slater was willing to go along with it and you know how much of a control freak he is."

Leo frowned. "Zach Slater? What does he have to do with this?"

"Well, he doesn't have anything to do with us, but when everyone thought Spike was Ryan's child, he was okay with Kendall and Ryan sharing custody of him. She told me that he didn't feel threatened by the arrangement."

"Of course he didn't feel threatened, because Kendall and Zach are married. She told me all about the blackout and how she forgave him for betraying her. If she hadn't, I don't think he would have stayed in town. I doubt he would have stuck around to watch her and Ryan make a family together."

Greenlee held her hands up. "Wait a minute, wait a minute. You think that I don't forgive you? You think I'm going to get back together with Ryan because he's the father of my baby?"

"I think that you would be justified not to forgive me. You left Pine Valley last year because too many people had betrayed you."

"And look how well that turned out for me. You saw how pathetic and miserable I was in Paris, facing the prospect of raising my baby alone."

"I remember, Greens. That's why you made the decision to go back to Pine Valley. To get back together with Ryan."

Greenlee sat down. "I was going back to Pine Valley so that my son could have his father in his life. It's possible I would have gotten back together with Ryan. I loved him once and I could have loved him again."

"Could have? You can't now?"

"Leo, after all that we've been through, don't you know by now that you have my whole heart?"

"But I broke it, Greenlee. I..."

She put her hand over his mouth. "Yes, you did break my heart. But you still hold all the pieces. Sure, I could say that you've hurt me too badly and I never want to see you again. But wherever you went in the world, you would still be holding those pieces of my heart. It's the lesson I learned when I left Pine Valley and the people I loved." She traced her fingers over his cheek. "As painful as it is to work on mending a heart, it's still better than forsaking it altogether."

He stared at her wonderingly. "I don't believe it. Motherhood has turned you into a softie."

She rose from her chair again, and the fingers that had been tracing his cheek shifted to his ear, squeezing together into a pinch. As he scrunched his face in pain, she lowered her face to his, growling, "Don't ever make the mistake of thinking I've lost my edge, buster." She loosened her grip and whispered, "I love you, Leo. Please say that you'll finally come home."

He slipped his hand behind her neck, tangling his fingers in her hair. "I promise, Greenlee." He pulled her head down gently, pressing her lips to his.

------------

Kendall gave her sister one last hug, then climbed aboard the jet. Zach and Ryan were talking, Spike's infant carrier on the seat in between them. Ryan was making funny faces at the baby and it was hard to tell whether Spike was amused by his antics. Kendall leaned over and softly brushed her lips against Spike's forehead, then tucked his blanket a little tighter around him. She looked around. "This is the first time I've been aboard the Seasons jet. Very nice."

Zach smiled. "The high rollers seem to like it. I managed to piss off a couple of them when I had it rerouted to Paris."

Kendall waved her hand. "Too bad for them! After all that I've been through, there was no way I was going to fight my way through security and customs and other passengers giving me dirty looks because I dared to bring a baby on board."

Ryan chuckled. "I could have lent you the Cambias jet."

Zach shook his head. "It was better this way. It left you with the chance to offer it to Tad and Dixie instead. That was very generous of you."

Ryan shrugged. "They've got a rough road ahead of them. As hard as it was getting the names of the adoptive parents, the next step will be much harder."

Zach stood up. "That reminds me, I want to go say goodbye to Dixie." He hugged Kendall, tangling his fingers in her abundant hair. "I'll be back soon," he growled into her neck.

"You better," she whispered.

When Zach had disembarked, Kendall gave Ryan a speculative look. "So when the Cambias jet drops them off in Berlin, will it come back here?" Ryan nodded. "And then what will be its next destination?"

Ryan gave her a look that said he knew she was on a fishing expedition. "Pine Valley, of course. Some of us have been away from home long enough."

"So Greenlee and the baby are coming back with you?"

Ryan nodded slowly. "And Leo. We're not making the journey until he's recovered enough to fly."

Kendall gave him a sympathetic look. "I know this is hard for you."

Ryan held up his hand. "Don't, Kendall. Don't feel sorry for me. Yes it's hard, but… Greenlee has been through so much. And Leo is my best friend. I know what he went through; I've been down that road. But for him it dragged out for _years_. If anyone deserves a happy ending, it's him.

Kendall sat down, reaching her hand out to caress Spike's forehead. "What about your happy ending?"

Ryan smiled. "I have a good life, Kendall. Running Cambias is an exciting challenge I look forward to every day. I have a new son to watch grow up." He looked down at Spike. "I hope I can watch this one grow up, too. He has a special place in my heart."

Kendall tilted her head. "Of course you will. You won't have a choice – he and your son will be inseparable."

Ryan chuckled. "I'm really glad you and Greenlee mended fences. I saw how much it tore you apart when she left."

Kendall shook her head. "She and I have been through so much together. It's kinda strange that at one time we fought viciously over you, and in the end neither of us ended up with you."

Ryan shrugged. "It just wasn't meant to be. Don't worry about me, Kendall. There's a woman out there for me. I'll be minding my own business, and then BAM! I won't know what hit me."

Kendall's eyebrows shot up. "Sounds painful."

Ryan nodded thoughtfully. "That's the way it is with all relationships." Kendall knew he was thinking about Chris. Ryan stood up. "I'm going back to the hospital. You have a safe trip." He leaned down to kiss Kendall on the cheek.

"Are you going to say goodbye to your father? I heard he's leaving today, too."

Ryan shook his head. "I'm still too angry, and I'm afraid I'd say something I'll regret. I have enough of those already. When the time is right, we'll connect again."

--------------

Chris enveloped Erica in a hug, his heart aching at the feel of her delicate frame in his arms. He'd felt tremendous relief when she told him that she didn't harbor any bad feelings for his part in Dr. Madden's escape and her kidnapping. He pulled back and cleared his throat. "Where's Jackson?"

Erica gave a tiny shrug. "He's pretty enchanted with his new grandson. I told him he should stay here and make sure Greenlee and the baby get back to Pine Valley in one piece."

"Isn't that what Ryan is for? I would think he'd want to escort his recently kidnapped wife back home."

She tilted her head. "Family is very important to the both of us. Jack hasn't seen Greenlee in months and he wants to catch up. I'm anxious to get back and work things out with Josh, now that he knows the truth about being my son. We've always understood that our children are our priority. Jack and I had our reunion, and I'll see him again soon enough."

Chris put a hand on Erica's shoulders. "Look…it wasn't in the cards for you and me. I think deep down you knew and that's why you went to Jack. But the other reason you went to him is because you two belong together. You're meant to be, I can see that now. So don't blow it, Erica. Don't take each other for granted."

She reached out and grasped his hand, pulling it down and holding it between hers. "The same goes for you and Ryan. You've wasted enough time already. Come to Pine Valley and stay for awhile. Get to know your son and your grandson."

He put his other hand on top of hers. "I will. Eventually. I just have one more loose end I have to wrap up. One more wrong I have to right."

She shook her head. "The only wrong you have to right is when you made Ryan think that Patrick was his real father. It really messed with his head, Chris."

He nodded slowly. "That's true. So I have two wrongs I have to right. I promise that I'll make things right with Ryan."

"And Chris keeps his promises, no matter what." They turned and saw Dixie standing there. Chris grinned and strode over to her, enveloping her in a hug. Erica narrowed her eyes.

"Hey, babe! I'm glad I get to see you one last time before you head off to Berlin."

"Mmmm, it's good to see you too." Dixie smiled up at him. "So now that you've been outed, will I ever see you again?"

Chris cocked his head. "If Hayward and I don't kill each other first."

"Music to my ears!" They looked over and saw that Tad had joined the group. "Feel free to tell me, in exquisite detail, why our favorite heart surgeon might soon shuffle off this mortal coil."

Chris ran his fingers through his hair. "Hayward and I are going to hunt down Vanessa. We may not agree on much, but we're both pretty damn sure that she won't stay in hiding for long. David wants to make sure that she doesn't hurt Leo or Greenlee again, and I want to make up for the fact that I let that viper loose in the first place."

Tad narrowed his eyes. "Well, if you can manage to 'accidentally' dispose of both David and Vanessa, you'll have paid mankind back in full." He pivoted and walked over to Erica.

Dixie turned to Chris and gave him a tender smile. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be on my way to see my baby."

Chris returned her smile with a rueful one. "I think you're the only person in the world who still sees me with rose-colored glasses. I've managed to shatter everyone else's delusions. So it's a good thing I'm leaving - I'd hate to see the light leave those gorgeous blue eyes, too."

She frowned. "Are you ever going to come back to Pine Valley?"

He reached out and squeezed her shoulder. "Oh yeah. If I don't resolve things with Ryan, Erica will have my head on a platter." He looked over at Erica, who was a few yards away talking to Tad and Zach.

Dixie gave him a speculative look. "You still love her, don't you?"

Chris ignored her question, choosing to focus on Zach's approach. He watched as Zach gave Dixie a bear hug and then spoke softly to her for a minute. She kissed his cheek, then came over and kissed Chris's cheek. She trotted off to where Tad was standing, a displeased expression on his face.

Zach cocked his head. "I hope that they resolve their differences before they find their daughter."

Chris shrugged. "Tad got real used to being the hero in Dixie's eyes for many years. It was hard for him to deal with watching David and then you and then I help her in ways that he couldn't. I'm willing to bet that he'll be too preoccupied with being his little girl's hero to stay angry at Dixie for much longer. "

Zach gave him a strange look. "What are you, a psychiatrist now?"

Chris smirked. "You get to know a lot about the human condition when you're in my job."

"Is that how you got to be such an unfeeling bastard?"

"I deserve that."

"You deserve a lot of things. Finding Vanessa isn't going to absolve you of your sins."

Chris glanced over at Zach. "I guess you've been filled in on my upcoming adventure with David."

"Better you than me." The words came out more roughly than Zach had intended. He knew why. With all the mistakes that he'd made in his attempts to maintain control over uncontrollable circumstances, was he really any better than Chris? The thought made him cold inside. As much as Zach hated Chris for playing games with his life, had Ethan hated him in the same way?

Zach fought against the wave of misery that threatened to engulf him by reminding himself that there was one major difference between himself and Chris. Zach had been given a second chance. Kendall had forgiven him, married him again, and was asking him to be her child's father. Chris didn't have such blessings in his life. He might someday, if Ryan ever forgave him.

Zach didn't want to feel sorry for Chris. The old wounds, recently reopened, still felt raw. But he couldn't help but feel convicted that if he hadn't experienced the amazing blessing that was Kendall's love, he could have ended up just like Chris. Zach cleared his throat. "When you do get back to Pine Valley, look me up and we'll go hoist a few." Chris's eyebrows shot up. Zach shrugged. "I've learned a little about the human condition, myself. Specifically how _not_ to be a control freak with your child."

Chris nodded slowly. "You're right. I'll need all the advice I can get. Thanks."

Zach reached out and put his hand on the other man's shoulder. Maybe Chris's soul could be resurrected. He found himself hoping so. After a moment, he silently turned and walked towards the Seasons jet and his waiting family.

The end.


End file.
